T'U'GS 3:1/2/3 Love Lost and Found
by The Big Lazy Dragon
Summary: Elisa's life takes an unexpected turn when the Phoenix Gate returns a long lost love to her.
1. Love Lost and Found Part One

Love Lost and Found

Part One

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

**June 30, 1999**

"Can I look now?" Elisa asked.

"Not yet," Goliath said. "It's just a little farther."

Elisa Maza sighed and adjusted her grip on the picnic basket she held in her lap as Goliath soared through the night sky, carrying her to what he had said was a perfect spot for a moonlight feast. And from the smells wafting up from the wicker basket, she was in for a real treat. She laid her head against Goliath's shoulder and tried to sneak an eye open.

"Ah, ah," Goliath warned, seeing the lashes of her eyes start to flutter. "You promised…"

"Just curious," she giggled. They had been in the sky for at least an hour and a half, maybe two, and now she was anxious to see where they were going. She was almost certain that they were heading east, but she couldn't be sure. If they had been driving, she would have been able to guess where they were, but her sense of direction was more or less skewed once Goliath took wing. For all she knew, they were even now circling the Eyrie Building, or even worse taking the scenic route straight to Destine Manor. But they had left the smell of exhaust and the persistent honking of horns some time ago, so she guessed that they were no longer in Manhattan. Long Island then, she thought. Were they going to Jeffrey Robbins' home? No, Goliath was in the mood for a quiet night for just the two of them. She sighed again and felt Goliath shift slightly as he turned his head to make sure she wasn't trying to sneak her eyes open again.

Eventually, she felt the familiar sensation of descent and knew that they had arrived wherever it was they were going. She almost said "Finally" but held it back, not wanting to give Goliath the impression that she had become impatient. Far from it. After every-thing that had happened over the past couple of years, from the Quarrymen to Phoenix Rising to the Unseelie War and her own near-death, it was nice to be able to get away to spend some time alone with the Gargoyle she loved, the Gargoyle that she was engaged to be married to.

She felt the light 'thud' as Goliath touched down, and then felt him set her down on her feet as he took the basket from her. The ground shifted beneath her feet as gravity took hold of her and she realized that they were on a beach. That, plus the sound of waves on the shore and the smell of seawater confirmed her earlier guess of Long Island. But where…

"Can I open my eyes now?" she asked.

"Yes, my Elisa," Goliath said softly. "You can open your eyes."

Elisa slowly opened her eyes, took a look around, and felt her heart sink.

"Isn't it beautiful, Elisa?" Goliath said, bending down to remove the blanket from the picnic basket and spread it on the sand. "Hudson told me about it after he visited Robbins last month and…" His voice trailed off as he caught the expression on Elisa's face.

_Not here,_ she thought. _Please, anyplace else but here._

"Elisa, what is wrong?" Goliath stood up and returned to her, concerned.

Elisa looked up at him and saw the worry on his face. "Goliath, can we go someplace else?"

"Of course," he replied. "But why…"

"Please!"

Goliath decided not to pursue the matter, seeing the pain on her face. Something about this place apparently held painful memories for her and he didn't want to cause her further distress. He quickly retrieved the blanket and the basket. Then, with Elisa in his arms and the basket firmly in her grasp, Goliath launched himself into the sky, leaving Jones Beach State Park behind them.

The Eyrie Building 

Broadway and Angela had just returned from Demona's when they saw Goliath land on the battlements, with a dismal look on his face.

"Back already," Broadway said, missing the look for a moment until his mate jabbed him in the ribs. "Oh," he quickly added.

"Father, what is wrong?" Angela asked as Goliath set the basket down.

"Elisa's not sick, is she?" Broadway worried. He had spent a long time preparing that meal, and was now afraid that something had gone bad, or even worse, that he had inadvertently poisoned her.

"Elisa is well," Goliath said, seeing the look of abject terror flash across Broadway's face and realizing why. "The fault is mine."

"What did you do this time, Goliath?" a new voice called out. The three gargoyles turned to see Talon winging towards them. The mutate leader, Elisa's brother, landed on the battlement and stalked over to Goliath.

"I am unsure," Goliath said. "Elisa was in high spirits until we reached the beach."

"Which beach?"

"A place on Long Island called Jones Beach."

Talon's eyes went wide. "Goliath, you didn't!"

"I did nothing," Goliath replied, guessing what Talon must be thinking he had done. "We left almost immediately at her request."

"Easy, Goliath," Talon quickly said. "I'm not suggesting you did anything deliberate to upset my sister. But you could have checked with someone before taking Elisa to one of her old haunts."

"I don't understand…" Goliath started.

"Then you don't know," Talon said, looking around and catching sight of one of the numerous security cameras mounted on the castle walls.

"Know what?" Angela asked. "What's this all about?"

Talon looked at her before focusing on Goliath again. "Listen, I'll tell you all about it, but not here. Xanatos may be helping to fund the Sanctuary, but I still don't trust him. And this is something I'd rather keep in the family." With that, Talon spread his wings and leapt off the battlement.

"You do not have to come," Goliath said to Angela and Broadway.

"I want to, Father," Angela replied. "Elisa is my friend and I want to help if I can."

"And where Angela goes," Broadway stated. "I go."

Goliath smiled as he turned to launch himself after Talon, his daughter and her mate following close behind.

Talon didn't head back to the Labyrinth like Goliath thought he would. Instead he headed for the Maza home. After several minutes, Talon landed in his parents' back yard and entered through the kitchen door. Goliath, Angela and Broadway followed him in.

"Derek, you're back," Diane Maza said, hearing her son come in. "Good. Did you bring the cook book?"

"Oops," Talon said. After what Goliath had told him, he had completely forgotten why he had gone to the castle in the first place. "Sorry, Mom."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Maza," Broadway quickly chimed in. "I'll bring it back tomorrow night. I promise."

"Besides, the fault was not Talon's," Goliath stated. "It was mine."

"Why?" Peter Maza asked, coming into the kitchen to see what was going on. "What happened?"

"Goliath took Elisa to Jones Beach." Talon said.

"I don't get it," Broadway said, seeing the look of resignation on Diane and Peter Maza's faces. "What's so special about that place?"

"It was something that happened a long time ago, Broadway," Diane said. "Let's all go into the living room and I'll tell you all about it."

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa Maza reached into the closet and pulled down the shoebox from the top shelf, then went to her desk and grabbed a pair of scissors. The box was taped shut with what seemed to be an excessive amount of packaging tape, almost as if it were a Pandora's box that she dare not open, lest the contents inside surge out and flood her with painful memories she had believed long since forgotten.

Goliath had tried to be understanding when she said she didn't want to talk about why that particular place upset her so. She wasn't even sure why herself, she had told him. No, that wasn't true. She did know, but she wasn't ready to share that part of her life with him, even though they were ready to pledge their lives to each other as mates.

She had watched as Goliath headed back for the castle before heading back into her apartment to have herself a good cry.

_Why?_ she had asked herself._ After all this time, why does it still hurt so much?_

She fought down fresh tears as she took the scissors to the tape holding the box closed.

Maza Home 

"It all started back in 1989," Diane said. "Thanksgiving Day, as a matter of fact. Elisa and I had stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items…"

**Thanksgiving Day, 1989**

**4:30 PM**

"I told you we weren't going to have enough for stuffing," Diane Maza said.

"I'm sure that Maria won't mind," Elisa said. "She said that she really doesn't care for stuffing, anyway."

"Mm, hmm," Diane said. "And she said the same thing last year. And who was it who ended up having seconds and thirds?"

"Okay, Mom," Elisa conceded as she drove her car into the grocery store parking lot. "We'd better hurry," she added. "It looks like they're going to be closing pretty soon."

Elisa shut off the ignition and grimaced, as the engine seemed intent on running-on for the next ten seconds before finally sputtering.

"You really need to get that checked, Elisa," Diane commented.

"What I really need is a new car, Mom." As they walked away from her car, she could have sworn she heard it grumble. "I really hate that Datsun," she muttered. Then something else in the parking lot caught her eye. "Now that's something I could definitely go for."

Diane Maza followed her daughter's gaze and her eyes settled on the classic red and white Ford Fairlane parked nearby.

"Now **that** is a car," Elisa sighed.

"**That** is a car that you would **never** be able to afford," Diane told her daughter. "At least not on a rookie's salary."

"I know," Elisa sighed. "But it never hurts to dream."

Diane laughed. "Maybe if you're good, Santa will give you one for Christmas."

They walked into the grocery store, Elisa still mooning over the Ford.

They were at the checkout counter when it happened. A shot thundered through the store and Elisa caught the sight of a masked hoodlum coming towards them, a shotgun in his hand.

"All right, everybody," he shouted. "You know the drill. All the money goes in the bag. And nobody tries anything funny." He turned slightly and caught sight of Elisa, still in uniform, and trying very hard to get to her service revolver without being seen. "That means you too, sweetheart," he added, pointing the shotgun at her. "Up with the hands!"

Elisa complied, raising her arms and placing her hands on top of her head. The gunman walked over to her and took her revolver out of her holster, stuffing it into his belt, then grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Diane.

"Elisa!" Diane cried out, taking one step before the gunman turned towards her.

"No one moves," he shouted. "Or the chick cop gets it."

"Don't worry, Mom," Elisa said over her shoulder, trying to relay a confidence she didn't even feel. "Everything's going to be all right."

"That's right," the gunman said. "Just do as I say and nobody gets hurt." He pulled her back several feet, then took her handcuffs off her belt and cuffed her wrists behind her back. Then he forced her down to her knees and stood behind her. "Now start filling a bag with money.

"Wi…will that be paper or plastic?" a nervous bagboy asked.

"What are you, a funny man?" he shouted as Elisa grimaced at the thought of being wasted over an ecological standpoint. "Plastic!"

The cashiers began slowly putting money into the bag that the bagboy held when there was a sudden sound from one of the aisles. The gunman turned around to see a man holding a whiskey bottle staggering towards him.

"Eshcuse me," he said, drunkenly. "Shorry to inter…inter…interr'pt, but cin you tell me where the liq…(hick!)…liq…(hick!)…liquor department ish."

"Get out of here, you dumb drunk!" the gunman said.

"Hey, I'm offffended by that!" the drunk replied. "I'm not drunk, I'm ineb…ineb…"

He gave up trying to say 'inebriated'. "Okay, I'm drunk." Then he strolled up to the gunman and poked him on the shoulder. "But I don't need to hear it from you!"

Elisa began to see her life flash before her eyes.

She heard a crash and turned slightly to see the drunk looking down at the broken whiskey bottle.

"Hey," the drunk said. "You broke my booze!" He looked to be on the verge of crying. "And he was so young!" Then he seemed to pull himself back. "Oh, well. He's

got plenty of friends over here." The drunk turned and headed back up the aisle.

"Hey, come back here," the gunman shouted. He started after him.

Elisa turned just in time to see the gunman come flying out of the aisle and land right into a pyramid of canned corn. The drunk…_No,_ she realized. _Not a drunk._ She looked at the broken whiskey bottle. The cap was still on it. _He_…came out of the aisle with the gunman's weapon in his hands.

Whoever it was, he rushed towards the crook as he tried to stand back up, and smacked him across the jaw with the butt of the shotgun. The crook spun around and fell face first back into the pile of canned corn.

"That'll teach you to knock a good bottle of whiskey out of someone's hand," he said.

He reached down, flipped the crook over and pulled Elisa's revolver from his belt, then dragged the unconscious bandit over to her.

"I think this is your collar, officer," he said with a winning smile. Elisa couldn't do anything but look up at him and gape. She wasn't even aware that he helped her to her feet until she felt him groping for something on her belt. She quickly pulled back from him, giving him a glaring look.

"Watch the hands, pal," she warned.

"Take it easy, officer," he said, holding up his hands, the shotgun in one and her cuff keys in the other. "I just thought you'd like to get out of those cuffs."

Elisa snorted at herself, realizing that he was just trying to help and turned her back towards him to give him better access to her wrists. When the cuffs were off, she turned back to see him handing her her service revolver.

"I believe this is yours, officer…"

"Maza," Elisa said as Diane rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her daughter's neck.

"Elisa!" she cried out. "You're all right!"

That seemed to take him aback. He lowered the shotgun, then took a closer look at her.

"Elisa?" he asked. "My God, Elisa Maza, is that really you?"

Elisa couldn't figure out why this unknown person was looking at her so strange, and she backed up slightly. "Do I know you?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but Diane somehow beat him to it. It seemed to take only one look at him before Diane's eyes went wide in recognition. "Don Michael Taylor! What are you doing back in New York?"

**Present Day**

"So you knew this person from…" Goliath started.

"Oh, years before," Diane said. "He and his mom lived across the hall from us while we were still living in the city."

"Of course, Lillian was no real saint," Peter said, which earned him a dark look from his wife, but he continued. "She didn't approve of mixed marriages. As a matter of fact, she moved out the day she learned that her husband had been killed during an offensive in Viet Nam. I think Don was 7 or 8 at the time."

Diane quickly picked up where Peter left off. "That was back in '74. And my God, Elisa had the biggest crush on him at the time." She smiled as she remembered, then her face saddened a little. "She was so upset when Lillian hauled Don to Chicago. He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay here, with his friends, but she wouldn't have any of that. Wanted him to be raised right." Diane practically spat out that last word.

"Prejudiced, in other words," Goliath said.

"Yes," Talon said, then brightened. "But she didn't realize what a stubborn kid she was raising."

"Why do you say that?" Angela asked.

"Don made it a point to call every week for two years after they moved," Peter said. "Drove Lillian nuts, trying to cover the long distance charges. And when she cut off his phone privileges, he used the mail. But after a while, even that stopped coming."

"Adolescent rebellion," Talon said.

"And you never heard from him again until that night," Angela asked.

"And that's when things really began to take off…" Diane continued.

**Thanksgiving Day, 1989**

**5:00PM**

"So how have you been?" Diane asked as Don walked both her and Elisa back to her car. Several on-duty officers had responded to the robbery call and had already taken the gunman into custody. They had almost arrested Don as well, but Elisa was able to smooth things over with them.

"I've been doing okay," he said.

"And what's with the severe cut?" Diane asked, reaching up to rub at the crew cut he wore. "Last I heard, you were going to let it grow out long."

"The Army kind of frowns on that," he said.

"You joined the Army?" Diane asked, and Elisa chimed in, "Doing what?"

"Chopper pilot," he said.

"You fly helicopters?" Elisa asked.

"Among other things." They reached Elisa's car, and Don took a long look at it.

"Hey, it's paid for," Elisa said when he saw the look in his eyes, strangely springing to the defense of the car she had said she hated not a half hour ago. "And it runs."

"Barely," Diane said under her breath, eliciting a glare from Elisa.

"I didn't say a word," Don said. Elisa opened the trunk and Don set the grocery bag he had been carrying inside.

"Do you need a lift?" Elisa asked as she closed the trunk.

"No, I've got my own transportation," he said.

"Okay," she said as she got in, turned the key and jumped as something went "Clunk!" under the hood. This was almost immediately followed by a loud "Bang!" "Oh, no!" she groaned as she reluctantly pulled the hood release.

Don opened the hood as Elisa got out of the car and moved to stand next to him.

"Is there anything you can do?" she asked, praying that somehow Don could fix it.

"Giving it Last Rites comes to mind," he said, shaking his head and then closing the hood. "I guess that should have been my question."

"What?" Diane asked.

"Do _you_ need a lift?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Elisa said.

He took a set of keys out of his pocket and spun them on his fingers. "Be back in a minute," he said as he took off across the parking lot.

Elisa went back to the trunk to get the groceries while Diane quickly gathered a few essential items from the front seat of the car.

"Do you think it'll be okay leaving it here?" Diane asked.

Elisa closed the trunk and looked at her mother. "It's a Datsun, Mom. If we're lucky, it'll disintegrate by morning." She looked around and sighed when she realized that the Fairlane was gone.

Then jumped when it pulled up behind her!

_No way!_ she thought in disbelief, which was shattered when Don stepped out of the car.

"Hop in, ladies," he said.

Elisa jaw dropped

**Maza Home**

**Later that night**

"So Don," Diane Maza asked as she started clearing the dishes. "You never answered my question. What are you doing back in New York." "Looking up old friends, actually," he admitted. "Couldn't find most of them, but Tom is still living in Greenwich with his aunt." Elisa smiled. Tom Mathers certainly did seem destined to live out his life in that beautiful brownstone that had been his family's home for ages. "Is he still around?" Diane asked. "I haven't seen him in ages. Not since…" She trailed off, not wanting to spoil the joyous mood the reunion with Don had created. "I know," Don said. "It was a tragedy." Tom Mathers' parents had been on board Flight 191 out of O'Hare when it literally lost an engine on take-off and then crashed, killing everyone on-board.

The somber mood lasted for a full minute before Derek broke in.

"So what are you up to now?" he asked.

"And how is Lillian?" Diane asked. She had never gotten along with Don's mother, but she still wanted to know how she was.

Don's expression told her everything she wanted to know.

"I'm sorry," Diane said before Don had to tell everyone that his mom had passed away. "When did it happen?"

"A couple of months ago," he said somberly. He stood up and walked away from the table. "The funny thing is, we all saw it coming. She just idn't want to admit it to herself, though. She was so certain that her faith would heal her."

"What happened?" Maria Chavez asked.

"Breast cancer," Don said. "Like I said, we all saw it coming. When she told Aunt Susan she'd found a lump, she just waved it off, like it would go away on its own. Wouldn't go to the doctor, wouldn't seek treatment, didn't want to be butchered, even though there were other forms of treatment available. Just wouldn't listen. Even to me. And I begged her to go. Pleaded with her. I mean, I know she was no saint, but still…"

Diane Maza rested her hand on his shoulder. "I know. It's hard to lose a mother that way. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I said my good-byes a long time ago."

"So what are you going to do now?" Peter asked. "What are your plans? Are you going back to Chicago?"

"No, there's nothing for me back there," he said. "After the funeral, I sold the house and divided up what was left to the relatives and tax collectors. I'm never going back there. Besides, I've still got six months left on active duty, so I'm not making any short-term plans right now."

"Well, you could always join the NYPD," Maria Chavez said. "Diane said you fly helicopters. We could use another good pilot."

"Apaches right now," he said. "And I'm not just good, I'm superb. There's a reason why my buddies nicknamed me Archangel. Some of the things I can do with a chopper are downright scary."

"Maybe you can give me a few pointers," Derek said. "I'm entering the Academy soon. Maybe I could train as a chopper pilot."

"Why not?" he said.

**Present Day**

Talon handed Goliath a picture that Diane had taken out of the family photo album.

"That's Don on the left," he said.

Goliath looked at the picture. It was a photo of Derek when he was still human along with another human with his arm up on Derek's shoulder. They were both wearing combat gear, Derek's looking a little loose as if it belonged to someone else, and they were standing in front of an Apache Attack Helicopter.

"I still don't know how he managed to get authorization for me to go up in that thing,"

Talon said. "But it was fun."

Goliath considered the human. As human males go, he wasn't bad looking. He stood just slightly taller than Derek in the picture and his skin was considerably lighter. His hair, what there was of it considering the military cut, was dark brown, almost black. But what caught Goliath's attention were the eyes. They appeared ordinary, but there was something about them. They had almost a _mystical_ quality to them. He handed the picture back to Talon.

"After Thanksgiving," Diane continued. "Don went back to Kentucky…"

"Why so far?" Angela asked, interrupting her. "If he was going to stay in touch…"

"That's where he was stationed, Angela," Diane said. "At Fort Knox. And he did stay in touch. Round about Christmas, he began making inquiries about apartments in Manhattan. Since he had six months to go on active duty, he was looking for a place to live once he went Reservist. And he started spending more time with Elisa."

Goliath looked up at this bit of news. "In other words…" he started.

"They were dating," Diane said. Then she smiled. "Of course, it wasn't until Valentine's Day that they made it official, and they flatly denied it before then, but I could tell." She looked at Angela and Broadway, then back to Goliath. "A mother knows these things."

"Were they serious?" Angela asked.

"Oh, yeah," Talon said. "Once April came around, Don made a permanent move to Manhattan and asked Elisa to move into an apartment with him. We were certain that within a year they were going to be married."

"What changed all that?" Goliath asked.

"Desert Storm."

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa slowly opened the box and looked inside. There were only a few items inside. A 'Star Trek' comm-badge that Don had picked up at a sci-fi convention that year. His Army service ring. His class ring. And a set of dog tags that he had bought for her. She picked up the tags and remembered the day he had given them to her.

**August 22, 1990**

**Jones Beach State Park, Long Island**

Elisa laughed as Don came sputtering up out of the water. She'd been wading when he came up behind her and lifted her in his arms, but then an unexpected wave caught him from behind and knocked him over. Elisa had quickly squirmed out of his grasp to keep from going under with him.

"Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" he challenged, then splashed her with water.

The rest of the Maza family watched the antics of their oldest daughter and her boyfriend from the safety of the shore.

"Ah, to be young and in love," Beth sighed.

Peter opened the picnic basket to try to sneak a snack, but was caught by his wife. "Now, now, Peter. We said we'd wait for Don to make his big announcement."

"What big announcement?" Beth asked.

Peter and Diane just looked at each other knowingly.

Beth realized what was going on. She looked back to her sister and Don, smiling as he caught her around the waist and pulled her close before hitting her with a very passionate kiss. They broke off the kiss after a minute and turned to head back towards the family.

"At least we won't have to douse them with cold water," Derek said.

Elisa accepted a towel from her mom before sitting down on the blanket to dry her hair.

"Well?" Beth asked.

"What?" Elisa responded.

"When is the big day?" she asked, rather pointedly.

"Beth!" Diane yelped.

"Real subtle, sis," Derek said, popping her on the back of her head with his hand.

Elisa didn't seem to be shocked by her sister's question. "Beth, it's Mom and Dad's job to try and marry me off, not yours. I swear, every time you call, that's the first thing out of your mouth." She turned to look up at Don, who was kneeling next to her, and just missed the look of panic on his face, as if Beth had spoiled a surprise.

"Not every time," Beth pouted. "And besides…"

"Beth," Peter quickly cut in. He took his key out of his pocket and tossed them to her.

"Can you do me a favor and get the radio out of the car?"

"But…"

"Go," Diane ordered.

Beth got up and headed for the car, grumbling. Diane and Peter both breathed a sigh of relief, which fortunately masked Don's own sigh.

"So who's hungry?" Peter asked. "Elisa?"

Elisa had look of suspicion on her face. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Diane said innocently.

Elisa looked at Don. "Don?" she said.

He looked at Diane and Peter and realized that he wasn't going to be able to put it off any longer. "A surprise," he admitted.

"What…surprise?" she wondered.

"You'll see," he said. Going over to the picnic basket, which Diane had ordered Elisa to keep away from because she and Peter both knew what was going to happen, he pulled out a small box and gave it to Elisa. "Open it," he said.

Elisa hesitantly opened the box and looked inside, half expecting there to be a ring inside, but looked up in confusion and disappointment. "Dog tags?"

"Dog tags?" Peter Maza repeated. "You gave her dog tags!"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Nice going, Don. I know where you're going to be sleeping tonight."

Don ignored him and gave Diane a sidelong glance. "Read them," he said.

Elisa did, then gave Don a pitying glance. "It looks like they made a mistake, Don."

"On what?" he asked as his hand went to his back pocket.

"The name," she said. "It reads "Elisa Maza…" her voice trailed off as she suddenly realized what was going on. "Taylor," she whispered.

As Don knelt down in front of her, took her hand, and placed a diamond engagement ring on her finger.

"Elisa Maza," he said tenderly. "Will you be my wife?"

She sat there stunned for all of thirty seconds before crying out happily, surged forward and tackled him before giving him a passionate kiss.

"Darn it," Beth said in disappointment as she returned with the radio. "I missed it!"

Elisa broke off the kiss and looked up at her sister, giving Don a chance to breathe.

"I take it that means Yes," he said.

"Yes," Elisa said.

They spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating. Diane had packed a wonderful lunch and after the food was gone, they sat back listening to the radio.

"So when is the big day?" Beth asked again. This time, she felt she was well within her rights to ask since Don had just asked Elisa to marry him. But that didn't stop Elisa from criticizing.

"Beth, we just got engaged a little while ago!" Elisa said.

"Yeah, Beth," Don said. "It's a little early to be talking wedding cakes and guest lists. Unless you've been conspiring with your Mom a lot longer than I have."

"No," Beth admitted. "I just want to make sure I don't have any plans that day."

Elisa was about to say something, but Derek came running up to them.

"Don, you better come listen to this," he said urgently.

"What?" he asked. "Something going on in the Persian Gulf?" He was on active reserve now, and his commander had informed everyone to keep abreast of what was going on with Operation: Desert Shield. They ran over to where Diane and Peter were sitting listening to the newscast.

"…And we just learned a few moments ago that earlier today, President Bush has signed orders authorizing the call up of the reserves for possible deployment in the Persian Gulf," the announcer said. "As you may recall, earlier this month, Iraq invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait after accusing that country of overproduction and theft of oil from the Romailia Oil Field. The UN has called for Iraq to withdraw from the area. We now go to the White House for a word from…"

Elisa cut off the rest of the broadcast. "You're not going," she said pointedly.

"What?" everyone said in surprise.

"You heard me," she said. "Don's not going. Even if I have to go over there and kicked Saddam Hussein's butt out of Kuwait myself!"

"Elisa!" Diane gasped.

"Listen," she said stubbornly. "We just got engaged, we're going to get married and no Middle Eastern yo-yo is going to mess that up for me!"

Don quickly put his hands on Elisa's shoulders. "I appreciate the sentiment, Elisa," he said. "But Bush has called up the reserves for a _possible_ deployment. I might not even have to go."

Elisa couldn't keep the worried look off her face. "I don't want to lose you."

"You couldn't even if you tried," he said. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. "I'll always find my way back to you."

"I think we'd better head back," Peter said. "Your commander might be trying to get in touch with you."

The Maza family, plus one, quickly gathered up their belongings and piled into the cars to head back to Manhattan.

Two weeks later, he was gone.

On the night he left, Elisa found a single white rose on the pillow next to her, tied up in a handkerchief, with the keys to the Fairlane caught in the knot.

**Present Day**

**Maza Home**

Diane Maza pulled a single rose wrapped up in a desert camouflage handkerchief out of the back of the photo album. She carefully unwrapped the fragile flower and showed it to the gargoyles.

"Don left this on Elisa's pillow the night he left," she said before wrapping it back up again and replacing it.

"That is so sweet," Angela sobbed. Diane's story had moved her, and now the young female was close to tears. Broadway quickly retrieved a Kleenex and gave it to his mate.

"And that was the last you heard from him?" Goliath asked.

"No," Peter said. "He called either here or the apartment at least once a week. Just to talk to Elisa, ask how she was doing, saying that he would be home as soon as possible. He tried to call at the same time every week to make sure he was able to talk to Elisa."

"And as soon as she hung up," Diane continued. "She wrote him a letter. Saying how much she loved him, telling him something that she had told him on the phone but was certain that she had forgotten to tell him."

"At first, we hoped that the troops would be home by Thanksgiving," Talon said. "Then it was Christmas. Then, on January 12th, Congress voted to allow for U.S. troops to be used in offensive operations."

"Five days later," Diane said. "The air war started." She sat back, recalling the images. "It was the first time that the U.S. was able to witness a battle as it actually happened. Elisa was here practically every night, pacing the floor while CNN brought in front line coverage."

"Of course, she'd relax when Don called, telling her he was okay," Talon said. "But then, fragments of a SCUD missile hit a barracks in Saudi Arabia. Elisa was a wreck that entire day. I don't think she even slept. Then, when Don missed calling her that night, she was certain that something had happened."

"Oh, no!" Angela gasped. "Was he…"

"No," Talon said. "He was lucky, but 27 others weren't. The reason he didn't call was that he was helping with rescue efforts, and lost track of time. He called the next day to reassure us that he was fine and that he was going out on a seek and destroy mission to try to track down the crew that fired that missile." Talon hung his head. "He never came back."

This time, Angela couldn't hold back the tears. "How terrible!"

"Now I understand why that place is so special to Elisa," Goliath said. "I had not thought that there may have been someone in her life before I came along. To lose a loved one is a terrible thing, but to be separated by such a great distance must make the pain even worse."

"Are you sure he was killed?" Broadway asked. "If he flew a helicopter, maybe he was just shot down and hasn't been released yet."

"Elisa had hoped that too, Broadway," Diane said. "Especially after the first 10 POW's were released. But after hearing the reports from the one crew that came back from that patrol, we all knew that he was never coming back."

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa held up the dog tags, looking at the ring that dangled from the chain. Her engagement ring. After waiting two years for word about her fiancé's fate, she had placed the ring on the chain and put it and the tags away because the weight of it was a painful reminder of what she had lost.

_Two years,_ she thought. For two years, she held out the hope that somehow, someway, he would find his way back to her. He had said he would. But still, even after eight years now, there was no word. Nothing, not even a body to grieve over, since there had been no sign of wreckage in the area where his helicopter had disappeared. Three helicopters had gone out that night. One returned. They found the wreckage of one not too far away, but it hadn't been his.

Elisa felt the sense of loss begin to well up inside her again. She had tried to put it behind her. Thrown herself into her work. Made detective. Tried to put up a front. But she had never grieved for him. Never gave up the hope of finding him someday. That maybe one day, she would open her door and find him standing there, with that wonderful smile on his face and say, "Honey, I'm home!" But it never happened. Maybe that was why it took her so long to admit her feelings for Goliath. She had never let go of Don.

"Maybe it's time I did," she said regretfully. "Maybe it's time I finally said good-bye to him." She considered putting the dog tags and the ring back in the shoebox, but decided not to. Instead, she put the chain around her neck and left it hanging outside her shirt. Then she carefully closed the box and returned it to the top shelf of the closet. She stepped out of the closet for a moment before going back in and opening a footlocker. _His_ footlocker. Her little piece of him that she never had the heart to get rid of. Inside were a few article of clothing. Shirts. Jeans. Boots. A black leather jacket that seemed to be a quarter size too small for him, but was two sizes too big for her. She put it on anyway after taking off her own jacket, and then closed the footlocker. She had other things that had been his; most of it was still in storage or at her parents' house. She would go through most of it later, find out what she had and try to rationalize getting rid of most of it. It wouldn't be to forget him, "God, no!" she told herself, but to help lessen the pain of his loss, and perhaps to help her finally let him go.

As she left the apartment, she took one more item as she grabbed her keys to the car.

It was time to say good-bye.

It took her less time to drive to Long Island than it took for Goliath to glide there. Or maybe it just seemed to take less time because she knew where she was going instead of being carried along with her eyes closed.

When she reached Jones Beach, she parked the car and slowly headed out onto the beach. She listened to the waves for a while before looking down at what she held in her lap.

She had retrieved one more item before leaving the apartment. A photo album she had put together of Don and herself. It was lighter than she would have liked. She had divided it into several sections. The first one was of pictures taken almost two decades ago. Pictures from when Don was still living in New York with his mother. Birthday parties. Halloween. Christmas. Memories she barely remembered herself, but she had asked her mom for those pictures. The next section was filled with pictures from that wonderful time when she and Don were dating. It seemed that she had been putting pictures in it every week.

The next section was blank, as were the next two. Elisa knew why. One was to be their wedding pictures, the next their honeymoon, and the final one would always have been a work in progress, their life together.

She closed the album and looked up at the night sky. A new star seemed to appear in the heavens. She smiled, imagining that it was Don looking down at her.

"It's me, Don," she said. "I just came to tell you…"

Her voice trailed off and she frowned as she looked at the star. _Was it getting bigger?_

**February 26, 1991**

**Saudi Arabia**

Don Taylor walked across the tarmac towards his helicopter, carrying his flight helmet and gear. His co-pilot/gunner Jim 'Reverend Jim' Rueben was already in the middle of the preflight check when Don tossed his stuff into the rear tandem seat before walking around the helicopter to do a quick visual inspection.

"Everything okay, boss?" the young co-pilot asked.

"Everything checks, Rev," Don said. Jim was not really a reverend, but he was a big fan of Christopher Lloyd's character on "Taxi" and had adopted the name. Don finished up his inspection and started to climb up into the helicopter.

"Hey, Don!" someone called out. "Wait a minute!"

Don jumped down as he caught sight of Doug 'Tango' Starr running towards him, waving something in his hand.

"What's up?" he asked. "New orders?"

"No, late mail," he replied. "These just came for you guys." He handed one envelope to Jim, but ran the other under his nose before handing it to Don. "Smells like a woman," he said, smiling.

"Give me that," Don said, snatching the letter away from Doug's grasp. "Before you suck it up into that huge nose of yours and I have to go digging for it."

Jim had already opened his letter and quickly scanned it before letting out a joyous "Yahoo!"

"Good news?" Don asked, already guessing what Jim was cheering about.

"I'm a father!" he shouted and then jumped into the air.

"Hey, congratulations," Doug said. "What was it, a boy or a girl?"

Jim scanned the letter again as the rest of the patrol gathered around to hear the big news, then suddenly sagged against the helicopter. "Both," he said with a stunned look on his face.

"Boy, when you said she wanted a big family, I didn't know you were going to start out so soon," Don said, beginning to tear open his envelope before shooting a suspicious glance at Doug. "You guys didn't steam this open, did you?" he asked. He could feel the edges of a picture inside.

"No boss, honest," Steve 'Cash' McCall, Doug's co-pilot said innocently.

"Mm hmm," Don muttered as he ripped the envelope open. He read the letter, which was, of course from Elisa, telling him about what was going on at home and how much she missed him and how much she loved him. Then he looked at the postscript at the very bottom, which read "In the meantime, here's something to look forward to…"

He removed the picture, which was held to the back of the letter with a paper clip, and looked at it.

He could practically hear the eyes of the other pilots popping out of their skulls.

The picture was of Elisa, wearing a sheer black teddy, leaning against the doorway to the bedroom. She had one arm stretched up the frame and was dangling a pair of handcuffs from her thumb and forefinger. The thumb of her other hand was hooked into the gunbelt she wore low on her hip. She was smiling seductively and there was a come hither look in her eyes that were just barely concealed by her raven tresses and her NYPD cap.

"Whoa!" Jim said. He seemed to be the only one not dragging his tongue on the ground.

Don quickly pressed the picture against his chest to hide the image. "Okay, guys," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Roll your tongues back into your mouths."

"Are those cuffs for real?" one of the other pilots, nicknamed 'Popeye' asked.

"She's a cop," Don said. "Of course they're real."

'Popeye's' co-pilot, 'Bluto', chimed in. "She gonna read you your rights?" he laughed.

"Shut up, Bluto," Don said as he stuffed the picture into his pocket. "And everyone get to your ships. We got a Scud site to find and wipe out."

As the other pilots quickly ran to their own helicopters, Don climbed into his and closed the hatch. He looked over the console in front of him as much as it allowed and watched as Jim reopened the letter to read it more carefully.

"You okay up there?" he asked, even though, technically, the rear tandem seat of the Apache sat higher than the front.

Jim finished the letter and quickly folded it before stuffing it into his pocket and then turning his head in the direction of the rear seat. "Yeah," he said. "It just kind of took me by surprise, is all."

"Weren't expecting twins. huh?"

"I wasn't," Jim admitted. "Although, I guess I should have, seeing as Jenna has a twin sister."

"No ultrasound?" Don asked as he started the main engines of the helicopter.

"She didn't want one. Wanted it to be a surprise for the whole family. Herself included."

"I guess she got her wish," Don said.

"I just hope I get to see them," Jim said.

"Bad feeling again?" Don asked. Jim had a knack for it. He called it his 'sixth sense', which gave him an uneasy feeling every now and then, as if to warn him of danger. It was never definite, though. Most of the time, it was more miss than hit, but sometimes…

Don didn't want to dismiss it, even though his last 'hit' had ended up being the Scud launch that claimed the lives of 27 fellow soldiers, but they had a mission to do.

"Don't worry, Jim," he said. "I'll get you home." He pulled out the picture of Elisa and looked at it. "Don't forget. I've got something to look forward to, also."

**Present day Jones Beach State Park, Long Island**

Elisa watched as the 'star' continued to grow in size, then stood up as she realized it wasn't a star at all.

It was a fireball.

A very familiar fireball.

She gasped as she realized what it was.

"The Phoenix Gate," she said.

**February 26, 1991**

**Kuwait**

Don scanned the area around him, the Apache's night vision equipment giving him a good image of the surrounding territory. As he continued his appraisal of the area, he saw one of the two Apaches flying with him break formation.

"Bluto, what's up?" he asked over the radio.

"Thought I picked up something," 'Bluto' responded. "I'm going to check it out."

"Negative, Bluto," Don said. "Return to formation. I don't want you hot-dogging on this patrol."

'Bluto's' Apache stopped and hovered in mid-air as Don maneuvered alongside. "I wasn't hot-dogging, Archangel," he responded. "I thought I picked up a lock-on signal."

Don quickly checked his instruments. A lock-on signal meant that a hostile was tracking them, either a jet or a soldier on the ground with a rocket launcher, and was lining up a shot. But he couldn't hear the telltale "beep-beep-beep" that at this point would be filling his ears if they were being targeted.

"I'm not detecting anything, Bluto," he said. "Are you sure?"

"I picked it up for just a second," 'Bluto' said. "Then it was gone." There was a momentary pause. "I haven't picked it up again."

"Could have been a glitch in the monitoring system," Don said. He looked to his right as the second Apache, 'Tango' and 'Cash's' paused. He could almost see 'Cash' shake his head, indicating that he wasn't picking up anything, either. "But just to be on the safe side…" he started as he turned to look back at 'Popeye' and 'Bluto's' Apache.

'Bluto' never heard the rest of the order. His Apache suddenly erupted in a brilliant ball of flame. Don shoved hard on the stick to avoid the debris, but felt a sickening lurch as something, he couldn't tell what, struck the tail. _Too close,_ Don berated himself. He'd been too close to the other Apache and he'd hovered too long. Now he could hear it, the telltale "beep-beep-beep" that meant that he was being targeted.

"Tango! Cash!" he shouted as the second Apache swung around. "Did you see what happened?" He was fighting the stick to keep from spinning out of control.

"I think part of 'Bluto's' bird hit you when it exploded!" 'Tango' responded. "You've got smoke coming out of your tail section!"

Don could see one of the gauges slowly creeping towards zero.

"Yeah, and I'm losing my hydraulics, too," Don said, grimacing. "Get out of here," he ordered. "No sense in losing the entire patrol."

"But, Archangel," he could hear 'Cash' begin to object. "We can't abandon you."

"Go, dammit!" Don shouted. "Or I'll shoot you down myself!"

He watched as the other Apache sped away. As he turned his attention back to maintaining control of the rapidly failing helicopter, he could hear Jim praying in Latin over the "beep-beep-beep" of the lock-on.

"I thought you were Agnostic," Don said.

Jim finished praying and crossed himself. "I am, but Mom and Dad are Catholic. They were really upset when I converted."

"So what was that?" Don asked. "A last-minute confession?"

"Something like that."

"As long as it wasn't Last Rites," Don said. "We ain't dead, yet."

Suddenly, a fireball erupted in front of them. Don yanked the control of the already badly unstable Apache to one side to avoid it. Luckily, he managed to somehow maintain control. _Had there been another aircraft in the air that he hadn't seen?_ he wondered. There was word about a new kind of Stealth aircraft from some company called Xanatos Enterprises, but he pushed that thought aside as being unlikely. Still, he could have sworn he had seen something _inside_ the fireball.

Suddenly, his attention was diverted to a more immediate concern. The 'beep-beep-beep' had changed into the long 'beeeeep' of target lock.

"Oh, cr…" he started as another fireball erupted in front of him.

**Present Day**

Elisa watched in disbelief as the fireball quickly grew in size. _It couldn't be the Phoenix Gate, _she thought at first. It had been destroyed years before when Brooklyn returned with Sata and the twins along with their pet Nudnik. Then she realized that this would be one of the aftereffects of their TimeDancing. Brooklyn and his family would probably continue to pop up every so often as Time itself moved forward to catch up with them.

She took a step to greet the TimeDancers,

But then jumped back and dived for cover as an out of control Apache came tearing out of the Gate.

…ap!"

Don pulled back on the stick, trying to regain control, and cursing as he saw that whatever instrumentation had been working was rendered useless by the phenomenon the helicopter had passed through. Worse still, he was losing what little control he still had.

"Don, what the hell was that?" Jim yelled back to him.

"I don't know," he replied. "A last minute reprieve, maybe." He could no longer hear the long 'beeeeeeeeeep that meant that he was about to be blown to oblivion, but that could have also been taken out by the fireball they had passed through. "Hang on," he added. "I'm going to see if I can find a place to set down." He looked to one side then the other before spotting the beach below him. He blinked, then looked again.

"Don, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" he heard Jim asked.

"It can't be," Don said. "We're too far inland!"

But it was there. He could clearly see the breakers.

Then he heard something clip the underside of the Apache. "What was that?" he shouted.

"I'm not sure," Jim said. "But I think it was a street lamp."

"A…what," Don started, but then he heard a sickening crunch from behind him. "Ah, hell!" he swore as he saw the oil pressure gauge, one of the few pieces of instrumentation still working, begin to plummet.

"What was that?"

"We just lost oil pressure!" Don said. "Hold on to your lunch, Jim. This is not going to be pretty!"

Elisa watched as the Apache clipped a street light, then tried to climb before beginning to belch black smoke from the engine, which joined the trail of smoke that was already coming from the tail section. It turned slightly then headed out across the water before turning back towards the beach. She realized that the pilot was in trouble, she could see the damage to the tail section and knew that the pilot would be fighting to keep the Apache from spinning in an auto-rotation. She turned to run towards her car, but then paused to take another look at the approaching helicopter.

_No,_ she thought. _It couldn't be._

Don knew that he was not going to keep the Apache in the air much longer. He had to set it down, but the question was could he do it and keep it in all in one piece. He was less worried about fuel tank going up than he was the ordinance he carried on the Apache's wings. If the explosives were to go off on impact...

He began easing the stricken craft earthward, hoping that he could keep the Apache level as he brought it in for a landing. He swore as suddenly the Apache began spinning in an auto-rotation. He tried to get the helicopter to climb into the air again while it spun out of control, but he wasn't getting any response from the collective. He had to set it down now. He finally brought the Apache under control when he heard Jim shout.

"Don!"

His gaze shifted at the sound of Jim's panicked voice. Right in front of them was a refreshment stand.

Elisa watched as the Apache slammed into the wooden structure, shattering it, but by some miracle, it brought the helicopter to a stop. She ran to her car and retrieved her cell phone to call for assistance.

"9-1-1 emergency," came the voice on the other end.

"This is Detective Elisa Maza," she said before giving the operator her badge number. "I'd like to report a helicopter down at Jones Beach State Park, Long Island. I need emergency crews dispatched as soon as possible."

There was a momentary pause before the operator responded to her request. "What is your exact location, detective?" Elisa told her where she was. "I'm dispatching emergency crews to your location now. Do you know what kind of helicopter it is?"

"Apache attack helicopter," Elisa said. Even as she said it, she couldn't believe she dared hope. "And you better give a call to the Air National Guard. Have them dispatch an ordinance recovery team. I think it was fully armed when it crashed."

She broke the connection as she slowly walked towards the wreckage. She paused, waiting for the fireball that would destroy the helicopter if the missiles went off, but eventually she screwed up enough courage to look inside.

The front of the Apache was sticking out through the back wall of what was left of the refreshment stand, creating a large hole in the wall and Elisa carefully crawled through it. Luckily, the structure had been mostly wood. If it had instead hit one of the concrete bath houses...

She reached the cockpit and grabbed the handle on the side of the canopy, giving it a pull. It refused to budge. She pulled again, this time harder and then it opened. When it was up and out of the way she leaned in and touched the occupant. She carefully rested her hand against his throat and found a steady pulse. _He's alive,_ she thought as she lightly touched his chin and turned his head to face her. She felt her heart sink as she saw his face. _It's not him,_ she thought as she sighed.

There was a groan from the back seat. Elisa turned her head to try to look over the rear console when the realization struck her. _The Apache was a tandem seat aircraft,_ she remembered, and the pilot...She looked at the person she had examined, realized it was the co-pilot, and eased over the debris to the rear canopy hatch. _The pilot sits in the rear seat!_ She yanked hard on the hatch release and opened it. She leaned in and touched the arm of the pilot.

He turned his head wearily and looked at her.

_It was him, _she thought as she felt tears start to stream down her face. _Oh God, it's him!_

He seemed to focus on her for a moment and a smile seemed to cross his face. "Hey, Elis'," he said. "Any walking you can land away from, right?" he said, just before he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Elisa watched as the emergency crew carefully pulled Don and his co-pilot from the wreckage of the Apache. It had taken them at least a half an hour to get there, and then almost that long to make certain it was safe to approach. The helicopter was still loaded with explosive ordinance and they had wanted to make sure that nothing was going to go off while they made rescue efforts. After what seemed to be an eternity, they finally got them out.

"Is that all, Mike?" she asked the Long Island cop who had been questioning her about the crash. Detective Mike James had been a friend for a long time and he had tried to keep the questioning to a minimum, but there were still some questions that needed to be asked. Questions he knew he wasn't going to like the answers to.

"I guess," he said. "If there's anything else, I'll give you a call." He closed his notebook and headed for his car.

Elisa turned around and picked up the photo album from the hood of her car. Mike had found it on the beach, she had completely forgotten about it in the mad scramble to get out of the way of the Apache, and had returned it to her. She looked out towards the beach. Now she could see men in camouflage swarming over the wreck. No doubt they were an Army ordinance disposal team, sent to recover the missiles and rockets from the Apache.

She turned and watched as the paramedics loaded Don and the co-pilot into a waiting ambulance. As it pulled away, she got into her car and followed it while she took out her cell phone and placed another call.

**Maza Home**

Diane Maza waved goodbye to Goliath and the other gargoyles. She liked Goliath and knew that Elisa would understand her telling the lavender gargoyle about Don. She closed the door as the phone rang.

"Hello," she said as she answered it.

"Mom, it's Elisa."

Diane looked to the door. Goliath would be out of earshot by now. "You just missed Goliath," she said. "If you had called a couple of minutes earlier...

"Mom, I need you and Dad to meet me at New York Community Hospital," she said. "Do you know where that is?"

Diane was suddenly worried. She shot a glance at Peter and Talon. "It's in Brooklyn, isn't it? Why, what's wrong? You're okay, aren't you?"

Peter and Talon got up and hurried to Diane's side. "Has something happened to Elisa?" Talon asked.

"I'm fine, Mom," Elisa said. "But I do need your help. Something's happened."

"What's happened?" Diane asked. Elisa told her.

Peter caught the phone as it slipped from Diane's fingers. "Elisa, it's your father," he said. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you when you get here, Dad," she said. "But I need the two of you here."

"Where are you?"

"New York Community Hospital, in Brooklyn," Elisa said. "Please get here as soon as you can."

"But Elisa..." Peter said as he heard her hang up. He put the phone down. "Diane, what is it? What's going on?"

Diane Maza turned to look at her husband and son. "She said she's found Don."

**New York Community Hospital**

**Brooklyn, New York**

Elisa was in the hospital waiting room when Peter and Diane entered the hospital.

"Elisa, what's this all about?" her father asked. "What do you mean you found Don?"

She looked around to make sure no one would be listening. "Goliath and I..."

"Went to Jones Beach. We know that," Diane said. When Elisa gave her a confused look, she continued. "He and Talon came over with Broadway and Angela. He was wondering about why you were upset."

Elisa sighed. "I guess I should have told him."

"He knows now," Diane said. "We told him all about what happened between you two." She gave her daughter a look. "But I still don't understand..."

"I went back," Elisa said. "I guess I wanted to put it all behind me. To have one last moment with the memory of him before I made my commitment to Goliath." She sighed again. "Maybe that had something to do with what happened."

"What?" Peter asked.

"The Phoenix Gate."

Diane and Peter looked at each other. "I don't understand," Diane said.

"The Phoenix Gate was an magical talisman," she said. "It enabled the person who held it to travel through time."

"But what does that have to do..." Diane started to say, but then she realized what Elisa was saying. "You mean that Don..."

"Came through the Gate," Elisa said. "I don't know why, but I think I know how. Don must have gone through the Gate during his patrol. Brooklyn and Sata must have appeared in the air over Kuwait just long enough to snatch up Don, helicopter and all, and drop him off here."

"Helicopter?" Peter said.

"His Apache," Elisa said. "The one he was flying when he vanished. He crashed it at Jones Beach tonight."

"Elisa, are you sure?" Peter asked. "Are you sure it's him? I mean it's been eight years."

"I'm sure," she said. She pulled out the picture she had retrieved from the cockpit of the Apache. "He had this." She handed it to her mother.

Diane Maza's eyes went wide as she looked at the risqué picture of her daughter. "Elisa Maza!" she said in shock. She covered the picture as Peter tried to get a look at it.

"I sent him that picture as a Valentine's Day gift," she said shyly. "He must have gotten it just before he went on the patrol because he still had the envelope the picture and the letter came in." She looked at her mom. "I had Beth take the picture."

Diane quickly gave the picture back to Elisa, still keeping the image out of Peter's sight._ No need for him to see **that,**_ she thought.

"Is he okay?" Peter asked. "I mean. was he..."

"He's alive," Elisa said. "But he did suffer some injuries. He's lucky."

"What about the co-pilot?" Peter asked. When both Diane and Elisa looked at him oddly, he added, "The Apache holds two; the pilot and co-pilot/gunner. I was wondering if he survived the crash."

"He was alive when I checked them immediately after the crash," Elisa said. "I didn't bother to ask after that."

"Detective Maza," a doctor said as he came over.

"Yes?" she said.

"I'm Doctor Burr," he said. "You wanted to be notified about the condition of the pilot that was brought in?"

"Yes," she said. "How is he?"

The doctor looked at Peter and Diane. "Are these..."

"These are my parents," she said. "His died a long time ago."

"I see," he said. He looked as though he was not going to tell her what Don's condition was.

"Please, Dr. Burr," Elisa said. "We're all the family he has now."

"You'll be happy to know that he's going to be fine," he said. "He suffered some bruised ribs and some hairline fractures to his left arm and leg, but that's all."

"What about his co-pilot?" Elisa asked.

"Excuse me?"

"His co-pilot," Elisa said. "There were two in that Apache, doctor."

"You know I can't release that..."

"Dr. Burr, please," Peter said. "At least so we can tell Don. He'd want to know either way."

Dr. Burr looked at Peter Maza. "You don't have to tell me," he said. "I know how close these pilots can get. I served on a hospital ship during Viet Nam, and I saw quite a few flyers who were more concerned about the condition of their co-pilots than themselves. You can tell him that he'll be okay."

"Can we see him?" Elisa said.

"Not today," he said. "He's in the recovery room right now. If you come back later tonight, I'll see what I can do." He turned and left.

_Today?_ Elisa thought. She looked out the window and saw the sky begin to brighten. She couldn't believe that it was almost dawn. How long had she been here? She quickly looked around and found a pay phone. _She had to tell him,_ she thought as she picked up the handpiece. Had to tell Goliath...

_What? _she thought. What could she tell him? That her long dead lover was suddenly alive and well? That after all this time, she still had feelings for him. She couldn't tell Goliath. Not now, not yet. She didn't even realize that she had actually dialed the number until she heard Goliath's voice on the other end.

"Hello?" she heard him say. "Hello?"

She slowly hung up the phone as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

_To be continued…_


	2. Love Lost and Found Part Two

Love Lost and Found

Part Two

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

_Previously…_

_Why?_ she had asked herself._ After all this time, why does it still hurt so much?_

Don knelt down in front of her, took her hand, and placed a diamond engagement ring on her finger.

"Elisa Maza," he said tenderly. "Will you be my wife?"

"Are you sure he was killed?" Broadway asked. "If he flew a helicopter, maybe he was just shot down and hasn't been released yet."

"Elisa had hoped that too, Broadway," Diane said. "Especially after the first 10 POW's were released. But after hearing the reports from the one crew that came back from that patrol, we all knew that he was never coming back."

Elisa watched as the 'star' continued to grow in size, then stood up as she realized it wasn't a star at all.

It was a fireball.

A very familiar fireball.

She gasped as she realized what it was.

"The Phoenix Gate," she said.

"Can we see him?" Elisa said.

"Not today," he said. "He's in the recovery room right now. If you come back later tonight, I'll see what I can do." He turned and left.

_Today?_ Elisa thought. She looked out the window and saw the sky begin to brighten. She couldn't believe that it was almost dawn. How long had she been here? She quickly looked around and found a pay phone. _She had to tell him,_ she thought as she picked up the handpiece. Had to tell Goliath...

_What?_ she thought. What could she tell him? That her long dead lover was suddenly alive and well? That after all this time, she still had feelings for him. She couldn't tell Goliath. Not now, not yet. She didn't even realize that she had actually dialed the number until she heard Goliath's voice on the other end.

"Hello?" she heard him say. "Hello?"

She slowly hung up the phone as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

_Love Lost and Found Part One_

Love Lost and Found Part Two

**July 3, 1999**

**The Eyrie Building**

Goliath and the clan awoke with a roar. He turned, hoping to find Elisa there waiting for them to awaken as had been her routine for the past few years, but once again, she had not come. He sighed as he stepped down and caped his wings before heading for the library. Angela watched him depart.

It had only been three days since the clan found out about Elisa's past love, but already Goliath was blaming himself for her sudden distance from them. _He had to give her time,_ Angela thought. _Time to work through emotions long thought buried but suddenly dredged up again._ She'll come back to him, Angela hoped, and maybe their love would be stronger because of it.

But for now…

After waiting for the rest of the clan to leave, Angela spread her wings and headed towards Elisa's apartment.

Several minutes later, she landed on the patio outside the apartment. She crept quietly to the door and gently rapped on the glass.

There was movement inside the apartment. It was Cagney. The cat strolled up to the door and looked up at Angela, meowing.

"Hi Cagney," she said to the cat. "Where's Elisa?"

The cat cocked its head and then proceeded to clean its paws.

"Right," Angela said. "Like you'd tell me if you knew." She retrieved the key that Elisa usually left for the clan in one of the potted plants and let herself into the apartment.

"Elisa," she called out. "Elisa, are you home?" When she got no answer, she went upstairs to the bedroom.

She found a suitcase on the bed. When she lifted it, Angela could tell that it was packed with clothes. _Was Elisa planning on going somewhere?_ she wondered. Curious, she opened it.

It was packed with men's clothes, Angela noted, and some of the clothes looked brand new. _How odd, _she thought. She closed the suitcase when she heard the front door to the apartment open. She hurried downstairs.

"Angela, what are you doing here?" Elisa asked when she saw her come down the stairs.

"Goliath was worried," Angela said.

"And he sent you to check up on me?" It almost sounded like she was insulted.

"No, I came on my own," Angela said. "I was worried too." She looked back towards the bedroom. "Elisa, what's going on? There's a suitcase upstairs..."

The look on Elisa's face stopped her. "Angela, please leave," she said quietly.

"Elisa?"

"Please!"

Angela turned slowly and walked towards the patio doors. Just before she walked out, she turned back briefly and Elisa could see that there were tears in her eyes. "Elisa, I don't know what's going on, but I wish you'd tell us." When Elisa didn't respond, she turned and left.

When Angela was gone, Elisa went upstairs and got the suitcase, plus a garment bag that was hanging on a hook in the bathroom, and then left the apartment.

**The Eyrie Building**

"Are you okay, Angela," Broadway asked as she entered the entertainment room. From the tears in her eyes, he guessed not.

"What is wrong, Angela?" Goliath asked.

"I was just over at Elisa's," she said. "I think there's something terribly wrong with her."

"Perhaps ye should tell us about it, lass," Hudson said.

Angela sat down next to Broadway and told them about what happened.

"And she did not give you any explanation for her actions?" Sata asked.

"None," Angela said. "I wish I knew what was going on," she said.

"As do we all," Goliath said.

"I wonder what the clothes are for," Lex said.

"Perhaps the lass is planning to give them away," Hudson said. "It could be Elisa never properly grieved for the lad and Goliath's taking her to where he proposed to her just brought all those feelings to the surface."

"But she's hurting herself over this," Angela said. "I can see it. She needs us..."

"We shouldn't push her, lass," Hudson said. "Elisa needs to grieve in her own way. If we push her, we may end up drivin' her off and we'll not be there when she be needin' us most."

"I still think it might be something else," Angela said. "The clothes in the suitcase looked brand new."

"I have to agree with Angela," Fox said as she entered the entertainment room. She had the current copy of New York Daily News in her hand. "It could be something else." She handed the paper to Goliath. "You might want to read this."

Goliath took the paper and read the article before him. **'Military Helicopter Crashes at Jones Beach,' **he said. "At approximately 2:00 am on Thursday, July 1st, an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crash-landed at Jones Beach State Park. A New York City police detective, whose name has not been revealed, witnessed the crash. Officials from the FAA and the Pentagon refuse to comment on the crash, and the names of the pilots have not been released, pending notification of the families. Witnesses have stated that the aircraft appeared to have come out of nowhere and sources at the Pentagon have stated that no training flights were scheduled for that night." He finished reading the rest of the article in silence.

"What does it mean?" Angela asked, while off to one side, Brooklyn and Sata looked at each other in concern. He had a feeling he knew.

**Mid 1980's**

**Niagara Falls, New York**

Brooklyn awoke with a roar and then looked over at Sata, his mate. He thought she looked just as beautiful as the day he had first met her. He walked over to her and took her in his arms before giving her a very long kiss.

"What was that for, Brooklyn-san?" she asked as she ran the back of her fingers along his brow ridge.

"Do I really need a reason," he replied with a smile.

Sata smiled at her mate. "I think we should..."

"Uh, oh, looks like the honeymoon's over," Brooklyn said as he felt the tugging of the Phoenix Gate. Sata quickly broke away to retrieve the knapsack Jun had tossed to her when the Phoenix Gate pulled them out of 16th Century Ishimura and deposited them here. Turning, she leapt into Brooklyn's arms as the Gate whisked them away again.

**February 26, 1991**

**Kuwait**

They reappeared in the air, and Brooklyn's ears were immediately assaulted by the loud _whoop-whoop-whoop _of helicopter blades. By the time they registered the presence of the Apache, it was almost on them.

"Sata, look...!" he started as the Phoenix Gate opened up again.

**July 1, 1999**

**Jones Beach State Park**

"...out!"

Brooklyn dived and knocked Sata out of the way as the flames dispersed and left them in the air, with the Apache still bearing down on them. The helicopter passed over them and Brooklyn watched as it headed towards the shore, seeing the smoke trailing from the damaged tail section. He had just enough time to catch a brief glimpse of someone on the beach in a black leather jacket who bore a striking resemblance to Elisa and her red and white Ford Fairlane parked nearby when the Phoenix Gate snatched them away again.

**Present Day**

**Eyrie Building**

"I think you know what it means," Xanatos said as he walked in, looking at Brooklyn and Sata.

Goliath looked at the TimeDancers as well. "Is this possible?"

Brooklyn knew that they were waiting for him to say something. "It could be," he said. "I remember seeing a helicopter at one point, but I don't know where it came from or what happened to it."

"But it does fit," Lexington said. "Elisa goes back to Jones Beach, sees the helicopter come out of the Phoenix Gate and believes that the pilot is her ex-boyfriend."

"It could be more than that, lad," Hudson said. "It could be that the pilot _is _her ex."

Goliath was silent. If indeed it were Don Taylor, returned from beyond, what would the future hold for his relationship with Elisa?

**New York Community Hospital**

**Brooklyn, New York**

Elisa parked her car and retrieved the suitcase and garment bag from the trunk before walking into the hospital. She wasn't too sure what she would tell Don. _How do you tell someone he's lost eight years? _she thought. And how was she going to explain her relationship with Goliath? When she got to his room, she found him sleeping. She closed the door quietly and set down the suitcase and garment bag, then walked slowly over to his bed.

He was awake the moment she touched him. She jumped back, startled.

"Happy to see you too, sweetheart," he said, smiling.

Elisa moved back to the bed and took his hand. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"Aside from the fact that I feel like Hell," he said. "I guess I'm okay."

"Do you know what happened?"

He looked towards the window. "I crashed," he said. "That's about the only thing I'm sure of right now. I'm still having trouble dealing with the where and how."

"What have they told you?" Elisa asked.

"That I'm in New York," Don said. "Which was kind of hard to believe at first."

"What changed your mind?"

"You," he said, reaching up and placing his hand on her cheek. "Yours was the first face I remember seeing after the crash."

He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Elisa, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I…" she hesitated. "I can't tell you. Not yet."

"Is it Jim?" he asked. "Has something happened to him?"

Elisa was confused for a moment before she remembered the co-pilot. "No, he's fine," she said. "His wife and kids flew in this morning."

Don looked at her. "But there _is _something," he said. "Something you're not telling me."

Elisa couldn't meet his gaze. She looked down at her watch. "Don, I can't stay. I go on duty in a little while." Her eyes shifted over to the suitcase. "I brought some things for you. The doctors said that you could leave any time you like. I'll be back later to pick you up." She brought her hand up to touch him, but hesitated. "I promise I'll explain everything then." Then she turned and practically ran out of the room. She didn't stop until she was outside and in her car, heading for the precinct.

**23rd Precinct**

"Hey partner," Matt Bluestone said as Elisa came in. "Nice of you to show up."

"What?" Elisa asked. Then she saw her partner standing by her desk. "Oh, hi Matt."

Matt's forehead furrowed with concern. In the years since they first become partners, Matt had gotten pretty good at reading Elisa's moods, and he could tell that something was up.

"What's wrong, Elisa?" he asked.

Elisa sat down without answering. "Nothing," she said finally. "We've got work to do, don't we?"

"Come on, Elisa," he said. "I've known you for…what, almost five years now? I can tell when something's bothering you."

"It's nothing, Matt," she repeated. "Really."

"Trouble with Goliath?" he asked quietly.

"I said it's nothing," she said, losing her temper and yelling at him. "Okay?"

"No, it's not," someone else said. Elisa turned and found Captain Chavez standing behind her. "My office, Maza. Now."

As Captain Chavez turned and headed for her office, Elisa got up to follow, giving Matt a very dark look as she did. "Thanks a lot, partner," she said icily.

As soon as Elisa stepped into her office, Maria closed the door and looked at her. "Okay, detective. Spill it. What's going on?"

"It's nothing, Captain," she said defensively. "Honest."

"You don't blow up at your partner over nothing, Elisa," she said. "I want answers."

"You…" Elisa started, but then paused. _How am I going to explain this to her? _she wondered. _I can't tell her the truth, she'd never believe me._ "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Maria said, crossing her arms. When Elisa hesitated, she pressed the issue. "Does this have anything to do with what happened at Jones Beach Thursday morning?"

Elisa looked at her, surprised. "How did you know?" she started.

"Captain Maxwell gave me a call last night, wanting to make sure you were all right," Maria said. "He told me you were there when that helicopter crashed. Mind telling me what you were doing out there?"

"It was my night off, Captain," Elisa said defensively. "I went out there to…" She stopped when she couldn't come up with a convincing lie. "I just needed some time alone, that's all."

"Elisa, you haven't gone out there since Don died," she said. "I would think…"

"He's not dead!" Elisa shot back without thinking.

"I know you want to believe that, Elisa," she said. "But you have to accept the fact..."

"I'm telling you Don's not dead," Elisa said. "He's…" This time she realized what she was saying and quickly stopped herself. "He's not, that's all."

Maria Chavez raised her eyebrow. _She's not rational, _she thought. _Something's set her off, but she won't tell me what it is. _"Detective," she said finally.

"Yes," Elisa said.

"I'm putting you on administrative leave," she said. "As of this moment."

"But Captain…" Elisa protested.

"No buts, detective," she said. "I can't have you out on the streets if you're not thinking clearly. You'd be a danger not only to yourself, but to your partner as well." She sat down at her desk and pulled out the necessary paperwork. "Go home, detective. That's an order."

"Whatever you say, Captain," Elisa said as she turned to leave.

"One last thing, detective," she said.

"What?" Elisa asked.

"I'll need your weapon," she said.

"What?" Elisa said, surprised. "Why?"

"I've seen too many cops in your state of mind go home and eat a bullet," Maria said. "I don't want you doing the same thing. Your weapon, Elisa."

Elisa took out her automatic and placed it carefully on the Captain's desk. "Do you want my badge too?" she asked.

"No," she said. "That'll be all." She waited until Elisa left before picking up the phone and dialing a number.

Elisa walked down the street, not paying any particular attention to where she was going. That proved to be a mistake.

"Hey sweetheart," came a lascivious taunt from a doorway. She looked up and saw a guy wearing a blue jean jacket and dark glasses leaning against the doorframe and looking at her. She recognized him as someone she had busted on more than one occasion in the past. "Where're you going?"

"None of your business," she said.

"Well, I'm makin' it my business," he said. "See, everyone who passes this spot's got to contribute to my college fund." He paused as he looked her over. "Of course, for you I'll settle for a first date."

"I don't think so," she said. She started to walk past him.

He stuck out his hand and grabbed her by the arm. "It wasn't a request, sweetheart."

Elisa pulled her arm free. "I said no!"

He made another grab for her and that's when she lost her temper. Elisa hauled back and hit him. Hard. He staggered back against the wall, holding his bloodied nose. He looked at her in surprise. "You little…" he snarled as he rushed her.

This time Elisa spun, bringing her leg up and kicking him in the gut. _I am in no mood for this, _she thought bitterly. When he doubled over, she brought her hands together and brought them down onto his back, sending him to the pavement. She reached down and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him back to his feet.

"When I said no," she snapped, punching him in the stomach. "I meant No!" She punched him again and then shoved him against the wall. She drew back to hit him again when she felt a large hand close on her wrist.

"Elisa!" Goliath said, pulling her away from her 'attacker'. He threw the man a quick look. "If you value your safety, you will leave now," he said.

He took one look at Goliath and ran.

Goliath turned his attention back to Elisa. "What were you doing?" he asked. He hadn't seen her this upset since Dracon kidnapped her several years earlier. "Have you taken leave of your senses?"

Elisa looked up at him and tried half-heartedly to pull her wrist free. He kept a firm grip on her, unsure of what she would do if she got away from him.

"Please, Elisa," he said. "Talk to me. Tell me what is wrong."

"I…I can't," she said. She looked down at the sidewalk.

"Is it Don?" he asked.

Her head shot up and she had a surprised look in her eyes. "How did you…"

"Your parents told me about him," Goliath said. "After I took you home, I went to ask them what could have upset you so."

"I know," she said. "They told me."

"They are very concerned about you," Goliath said. "As is your Captain Chavez."

"Captain Chavez?" she said. "What does she have to do with this?"

"After you left the station, she called your parents."

"And they called you," Elisa stated.

"Yes," he said. "As I said, they are concerned about you." He finally let go of her wrist and put his hands on her shoulders. "Elisa, I am sorry for what has happened. If I had known that place would stir up these old feelings, I never would have taken you there."

"It's not that, Goliath," she said. "It's…" She hesitated, still afraid to tell him.

"He has returned," Goliath said. When she looked at him in shock, he continued. "Hasn't he?"

"How did you know?" she asked.

"There was a story in today's paper about the helicopter crash," he said. "It was not difficult for Xanatos to find out who the pilot was."

Elisa stepped back, clearly angry now. "He had no business prying…"

"Elisa, I asked him to," Goliath said. "I was concerned, as was the rest of the clan." He stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders again. "I know what it is to lose someone you love, only to find them alive again. I felt the same way when I discovered that Demona was still alive after I believed her destroyed by Hakon."

"But Goliath," Elisa said, looking up at him. "This is different. You and I…we…" She stopped, still struggling with her emotions. "We weren't in love when all that happened. We are now, but…"

Goliath could tell what was wrong. _She's still in love with him, _he realized. _And it's tearing her apart._ "Elisa," he said, pulling her close. "Whatever is wrong, we can get through this. Let me take you home. Perhaps tomorrow, you will feel up to talking about it."

"Okay," Elisa sighed, letting her shoulders sag. "But there's something I need to do first." She started to head back for the station.

"Later," he said, grabbing her by the wrist. When she looked back at him, he gave a slight tug and pulled her back. "Whatever it is you feel you need to do, it can wait a little while longer."

Elisa wanted to tell him she promised Don she would pick him up, but she couldn't. She was too emotionally drained._ I hope he understands, _she thought.

Goliath gathered her up in his arms and started scaling the wall so he could take her home. As he climbed, she pulled out her cell phone and called Matt, asking him to drive her car home. She was going to need it later.

**July 4, 1999**

**The Eyrie Building**

"And that's what happened," Elisa said. After a good night's sleep, and a visit from her parents, Elisa felt up to explaining what had happened. Goliath had gathered the clan in the entertainment room and listened while Elisa recounted the events following Don's return through the Phoenix Gate. "I still don't know what I'm going to do," she said, looking hesitantly at Goliath. "I lost him once. I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose him a second time."

"But, Elisa," Angela said. "You and Goliath are…"

"I know, Angela," Elisa said. "And that's what's tearing me apart. I love Goliath, but…" She stopped, looking at the lavender gargoyle. "I love Don, too. I don't know if I ever stopped loving him."

"Perhaps there is a reason for his return," Goliath said, turning to look at Brooklyn and Sata. "Perhaps this is something that is meant to be."

"What do you mean?" Elisa asked. "Goliath, please don't tell me you're starting to have doubts about us."

"I am not," he said. "But whatever the future holds for us, it is clear that Don has a part in it. Correct, Brooklyn?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," he protested.

"Brooklyn, you spent several years in the future," Goliath said. "_Our_ future. Whatever it holds for us, you must tell us."

"I…I can't," Brooklyn said. "Goliath, I told you before that I can't remember what happened. I've got a few vague impressions, but nothing I can…"

"But you told us yesterday that you remember seeing a helicopter at one point during your travels," Goliath said. "And in the three years since you returned, you have hinted that you know more than you are telling. What are you hiding?"

"Tell us," Elisa said. Now she was looking at Brooklyn also. "Please, Brooklyn. If it concerns Don, I have a right to know." She'd just said she didn't know what she would do if she lost him again. _Was that it? _she wondered. _Was something going to happen to him?_ "He's not going to disappear again, is he?"

"I…I can't," Brooklyn said. "I'm sorry." Before anyone could stop them, he and Sata dashed out the door and disappeared.

Brooklyn and Sata glided through the night sky, heading as far away from the castle as possible while avoiding the fireworks that were lighting up the night sky. After a while, they turned east, heading out across the water until they reached the Statue of Liberty. They landed on Lady Liberty's head, and Brooklyn stepped away from Sata, sitting down on the edge of her crown and letting his feet dangle over the side.

"What are we to do, beloved?" Sata asked, sitting down next to him.

"I don't know," Brooklyn said. "You know we can't tell them. Not after what Tom told us." He got up and started pacing around the statue's head. He paused to look at a blackened spot on the copper surface. _Almost five years and they still haven't fixed that. _"Damn it!" he swore. "Why couldn't he have warned us about this? At least we could have prepared her for this."

"Brooklyn-san," Sata said. "You know that Thomas could not warn us of events that took place before his birth."

"I know, I know," he said. "It's just…it's so frustrating to know all this stuff and not be able to warn anybody about what's going to happen."

"But you know you cannot," Sata said. "Even if you wanted to, you mustn't. Remember what Thomas told us."

Brooklyn remembered, thinking back to his last conversation with Thomas Maza, Elisa's son, just days before he, Sata and the twins disappeared through the Phoenix Gate.

"_Don't tell anyone about my father," _he had said. _"It could mean the difference between life and death for everyone. Including Goliath and my mom."_

"You know," he said. "There are still times I wish I hadn't picked that damned thing up."

"I know," Sata said, getting up and walking over to him. She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I am still glad that you did."

Brooklyn captured her hand as she started to draw it away and kissed it before taking her in his arms. "I know," he said. "But it still gets to me that even after all this time, the Weird Sisters are still yanking my chain…" He stopped and a gleam came to his eyes. "That's it!"

"What is it?" Sata asked.

"The Weird Sisters," he said. "Something they told me the Archmage said to them a long time ago."

"The Archmage?"

"Yeah," he said. "He told them 'The rule that cannot be broken can certainly be bent'. And if he can do it, so can we. Come on. We've got a lot to do."

"What are you planning, beloved?" Sata said as she followed him off the top of Lady Liberty.

"We're going to do a little 'bending of the rules' of our own," he said.

**The Eyrie Building**

"There they are," Broadway said.

Elisa ran to the side, looking out across the sky until she could see Brooklyn and Sata heading back towards the castle.It had been over six hours since Brooklyn and Sata took off. Goliath had felt that it was best to give the pair some time alone, knowing that they would eventually return to the castle, but Elisa was upset, knowing that they held the answers she desperately needed. _Maybe now I can get some,_ she thought.

The clan waited for them to land before gathering around the two, ready to cut off their escape if they tried to leave again.

"Okay, Brooklyn," Elisa said. "I want some answers."

_Here goes nothing, _he thought. "You asked me if Don was going to disappear again," he said, recalling the last thing Elisa had said before he and Sata took off. "He's not. The Phoenix Gate is finished with him."

"And his fate?" Goliath asked.

Brooklyn looked at Sata. "Let's just say that when we heard about him, he was real good friends with the clan. And had been for a very long time." He looked over at Angela and Broadway. "Even you two had some great things to say about him."

"Had?" Elisa asked. "You mean he…"

"Not while we were there, Elisa-chan," Sata said. "As far as we knew, Don was on Avalon, working on a project for the clan."

"Don't ask us what it was," Brooklyn quickly put in. "It was kind of top secret." He looked at Angela. "You wouldn't even tell us what it was." He was seriously stretching the truth, but they wouldn't know that.

"What?" Angela started. "I would never…"

Elisa looked at Brooklyn, realizing that there might be something else he wasn't saying. "What about us?" she asked. This earned her a confused look from Goliath, but he quickly realized what she wanted to know. _She wonders who she is destined to be with,_ he thought. _Myself, or her former love._

"You said that Don was on Avalon," she said. "Did I…did I go with him?"

"Not as far as we knew," Brooklyn said, which was true. No one had really told them about what happened to Goliath and Elisa, not even Tom, and neither of them had bothered to make any inquiries. The truth was, they really didn't want to know.

"But what about…" Elisa started, but Goliath set his hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps it is best not to pry too deeply," he said. "Whatever will happen will happen in the course of time."

She looked up at him, realizing why he had said that. _He didn't want to risk losing her, _she thought. _Not after what they'd been through._

Goliath looked towards the east as he saw the sky start to brighten. "Dawn approaches," he said.

Elisa turned to see the night begin to turn to day. _Had they been there all night? _She asked herself. It certainly hadn't felt like it.

She turned to see Goliath looking at her as the others headed for their respective perches.

"Will you be here when we awaken?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," she admitted. "I've still got a lot to think about."

"I hope you will," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. The fact that she didn't flinch or pull away was encouraging. "Good night, my Elisa," he said.

She captured his hand and held on to it as he changed to stone. "Good night, Goliath."

**July 5, 1999**

**New York Community Hospital**

**Brooklyn, New York**

Elisa was in better spirits when she returned to the hospital. _At least I don't have to worry about what to tell Goliath anymore,_ she thought. _I just have to worry about what to tell Don._ As she pulled into the hospital parking lot, she saw a black car with 'Dept. of the Army' stenciled on the side parked in a spot marked for official use only, but she gave it no more than a cursory glance. _She had more important things to worry about._

The first indication there was trouble was when she saw the MP standing outside Don's room. When she tried to go past him, he blocked her path.

"You can't go in there," he said.

"Says who?" she protested. She tried to push past him. He resisted her efforts to move him. "Move it, pal!"

"No one is allowed inside," he said. "I have my orders."

"Fine," she said. She turned like she was getting ready to leave, then quickly spun around again and landed a hard shot to his jaw. He almost managed to block it, but she was just a hair quicker than he was. He sagged against the wall and slid down to the floor.

"Rookie," she said as she pushed open the door.

An Army captain turned as she entered the room. "Who are you?" he snapped.

"Detective Elisa Maza," she said, pulling out her badge, thankful that Captain Chavez hadn't taken it when she put Elisa on administrative leave. "NYPD. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Captain James Morgan, Military Police," he said. "I'm here to take Mr. Taylor into custody."

"On what charge?" Elisa demanded.

"That information is on a need-to-know basis, detective," he said. "And you do not need-to-know."

"I tried to tell him what happened, Elisa," Don said. "But he wouldn't listen to me."

"Captain," Elisa said, turning her attention back to the MP. "Whatever it is you think he did, you're wrong. I know him, and he wouldn't do anything illegal."

"That's for a military tribunal to decide," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"I will not!" Elisa said. "You're not taking my fiancé anywhere!" She blocked his path to the door.

"Sergeant!" he called out.

A pair of hands grabbed Elisa by the arms and pulled her aside, holding her until Captain Morgan was out of the room with Don. When he was gone, the MP holding her let go and quickly left the room. Elisa quickly followed after him, trying to beat them to the car she saw parked outside, but by the time she got outside, it was already pulling away. She quickly jumped into her car and followed it.

She tailed the car for over an hour until it pulled up to the main gate of Steward Army Base. It passed through the gate without incident, but when she tried to drive through, the guard at the gate stopped her.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said. "No civilians beyond this point."

Elisa pulled out her badge. "I'm hardly a civilian, pal," she said.

The guard looked at the badge. "I'm sorry, detective," he said. "But I still can't allow you inside. I have my orders." His hand started to drift down to his sidearm.

Elisa noted the movement. "Fine," she snapped. Throwing the car in reverse, she backed away from the main gate, then turned around and headed back for Manhattan, her mind already formulating a plan. _There's more than one way to get onto that post, _she thought. _All I need are a few things from Xanatos._

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa stormed into Xanatos's office. Clearly, she was upset. "Xanatos!" she said.

"Is there something I can do for you, detective?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "You can loan me that exo-frame of yours and a couple of Steel Clan Robots."

"For what purpose?" Owen asked. "I'm assuming it is not for a police raid."

"No," Elisa said, giving the majordomo a sideways look. "And trust me. The less you know about this, the better."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your ex-fiancé, would it?" Xanatos asked, smiling.

Elisa gave him a hard look. If he had been anyone else, he would have withered under her glare. As it was, he just kept smiling.

"That's not your concern," she said.

"I'm afraid it is, detective," Xanatos replied.

"Are you going to give me the damned thing or not?" she snapped.

"No," Xanatos said. "For several reasons. One, you don't know how to use it."

"I'm a fast learner," she fired back.

"I'm sure you are," he said. "But I can't risk losing that exo-frame. It's very expensive and it takes days to get replacement parts. Besides, I'd hate to think what Goliath would do if he found out you killed yourself after I let you use it."

"He doesn't have to know," she said. "Xanatos…"

"And reason number two," he continued. "The Army has already seen the Steel Clan Robots in action. They can be traced back to me. Personally, detective, I don't enjoy the idea of going back to prison. Once was enough, thank you. And I hear that Leavenworth is not all that pleasant."

"You can tell them that I stole them," she said.

"Uh huh," Xanatos said. "Detective, are you actually listening to yourself? You are not being rational."

"Of course not," she snapped. "My fiancé…"

"Is being held for something he didn't do," Xanatos said. "I know. And I know you want desperately to be able to go in there and blast him out. Of course, the idea of going in guns blazing does have its appeal, but that's more Demona's way of handling a situation, right?"

"Yeah?" she said.

"I have a more…subtle approach, detective," he continued. He reached over and picked up the phone. "Which base did you say he was being held at?"

**July 6, 1999**

**Steward Army Base**

Elisa sat back as she watched the perimeter fence of Steward Army Base go by. Xanatos had made arrangements to see General Nelson McDermitt Harcourt, the senior officer at Steward, in order to secure Don's release. He said it would be a piece of cake, that nothing could possibly go wrong, but still…

Just in case, there was an exo-frame sitting in the trunk of the limo, sized to fit her. She didn't bother asking him how he got her measurements. She didn't want to know.

Owen pulled the limousine up to the front gate.

"Mr. David Xanatos and a guest to see General Harcourt," he said crisply to the guard on duty. The guard turned back to the sentry post and made a quick phone call.

The delay was only a few seconds, but already Elisa's fingers were digging into the upholstery. Xanatos smiled as he watched her. _She must really love this guy, _he thought, remembering that Elisa still referred to Don as her fiancé, not her _ex_-fiancé. _I wonder what Goliath is going to do when he finds out._ He sat back and let his mind wander over the numerous opportunities he saw forming ahead.

The guard came back. "You can go ahead, sir," he said to Owen. "The General's office is straight ahead and…"

"I am well aware of the location of General Harcourt's office, sergeant," he said. "This isn't the first time Mr. Xanatos has been here."

The guard stepped back as the limousine pulled into the base.

"See, detective," Xanatos said, turning to face Elisa. "Like I said. Easy as pie."

"It's not over with yet, Xanatos," she said. "We still have to get Don out of here."

"You worry too much, detective," Xanatos returned. "Once we've explained the situation to General Harcourt, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to release him."

**General Nelson McDermitt Harcourt's Office**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Xanatos," General Harcourt said. "I can't release him."

"What?" Xanatos said. "Why not?"

Off to one side, Elisa crossed her arms across her chest. _It's a good thing we brought that exo-frame, _she thought.

"You have to understand," General Harcourt said. "Mr. Taylor and Mr. Rueben made off with a very expensive piece of military hardware during wartime. That's treason, Mr. Xanatos, on top of desertion. I'm just glad we managed to catch up with them after eight years."

"General," Elisa said, clearly livid but trying to keep her temper. "That's not what happened. Don wouldn't desert. And he didn't steal that helicopter. I know him too well."

"Really?" the general said. "Then, detective, explain to me how he ended up crashing that helicopter eight years and several thousand miles west of where he disappeared."

"I…" she started, but hesitated. _I can't tell him the truth,_ she thought. _He'd never believe me, and it certainly wouldn't help Don's case any._

"I take it then you haven't viewed the footage from the Apache's video recorder," Xanatos said.

"Not yet," he said. "But I don't see how that would be of any use."

"It might," Xanatos said. "Why don't you take a look, general. You might find something interesting."

"Like what?" he said. "A mysterious ball of flame popping out of nowhere?"

Elisa's arms dropped to her side and there was a surprised look on her face and Xanatos'. They traded a quick glance and General Harcourt realized he may have said something he shouldn't have.

"I thought you said you haven't looked at the visual record yet," Xanatos said. "Care to explain?"

"Not particularly," he said. He saw the gleam in Xanatos' eyes. _What did he know?_

"No?" Xanatos said. "Then how about I run a possible scenario by you. Some time in the past, say about twenty or thirty years, give or take a few years, you witnessed an unusual event. You saw a mysterious fireball appear from out of nowhere, and when it dissipated it left behind a gargoyle or two, one of them was brick-red with white hair and had a beak about this long." Xanatos held his hand out in front of his face to the approximate length of Brooklyn's beak. He smiled like the proverbial cat as he noted the general shift nervously in his chair.

"I...I don't know what your talking about," General Harcourt said, even as he tried desperately to maintain control of his bladder. _How did he find out?_ he wondered. _I never told anyone about that night._

"I think you do, general," he said. "Why else would you be sweating?" He crossed his arms across his chest and smiled even wider. "Shall I continue?"

Elisa stood to the side, keeping her arms crossed and her mouth closed. She didn't care for Xanatos' methods, but she could see that the general was hiding something.

The general looked at Xanatos for a moment before looking over at Elisa, wondering just what her stake in this was.

"That won't be necessary," the general said. "I'll see what I can do about getting Mr. Taylor released. If you'll excuse me, I need to make a few calls."

"Thank you, general," Xanatos said.

"Just one question," the general said.

"Yes?"

"How did you know?" he asked. "I never told anyone..."

"Let's just say I've had my own experience with this particular…phenomenon," Xanatos said, remembering the night he, Fox, his father Petros and Goliath took a trip to the Tenth Century, courtesy of Demona. He turned to Elisa as he headed for the door. "Detective?"

Elisa gave the general one last look before following Xanatos out.

The general waited until the door closed before picking up the phone and placing a call. "This is General Harcourt," he said when someone answered. "I need to speak to the Judge Advocate General." He paused as he listened to the response. "Yes, I'll hold." He sat back in his chair and remembered. _It had been so long ago..._

**Da Nang, Viet Nam**

**1971**

Brooklyn looked around and took in his surrounding as the flames of the Phoenix Gate dissipated. He was in a jungle again. "Great!" he said.

He hated the jungle. Not only were there predators and insects and other assorted nasties to deal with, there was also the heat. Normally, gargoyles didn't feel the heat, but for some reason, he seemed to be the one exception. He took the Phoenix Gate out of his pouch and looked down at it. "At least this time you didn't drop me in the..."

He was cut of by the sound of weapons fire. _Automatic _weapons fire, and he heard the distinctive thump, thump of mortar fire. He dived to the ground and covered his head as he realized where he was.

He was in Viet Nam again. The Phoenix Gate had dropped him back in the middle of a war zone. He got up to make a run for it.

A hand clamped onto his ankle and pulled him off balance. Brooklyn fell to the ground.

"Are you nuts or something?" he heard someone say. He turned and caught sight of a human staring at him. A human wearing a US Army uniform. "You trying to get yourself killed?"

"Not really," he said. "What's going on?"

"Charlie overran our firebase about an hour ago," the soldier said. "I've been trying to get back to HQ to warn them."

Brooklyn looked out into the night. He could see figures moving in the darkness carrying rifles. _VC, _he realized. _Viet Cong._ This was not a good place to turn to stone. He looked back to the human. "You don't seemed surprised to see me," he said.

"You pulled a couple of my men out of a bad firefight last year," he said. "When they told me about it, I thought they'd been smoking some of the local Hanoi Gold, but then..." The human looked him over. "Here you are."

Brooklyn remembered. The Phoenix Gate had dumped him in a rice paddy and smack into the middle of an ambush. He was lucky to get out of there with his skin intact, but at least he had also managed to save the lives of the soldiers he met.

"Where's your HQ at?" he asked.

"About twenty klicks east of here," the soldier said.

_Twenty kilometers, _Brooklyn thought. _If they could keep from being captured, they could make it before morning, assuming dawn wasn't just around the corner._ "What time is it?" he asked.

The soldier looked at his watch. "Almost 2100 hours," he said.

Nine PM. That meant he had about nine hours until dawn. More than enough time to get to the soldier's HQ. _Assuming the VC doesn't see us._ He saw several North Vietnamese soldiers walk by and he slid deeper into the shadows.

**Present Day**

It had taken them over six hours to cross enemy territory, but the mysterious red gargoyle had disappeared almost immediately after they spotted a Marine unit headed for their HQ. The last he saw of the gargoyle was his disappearance into the mysterious ball of fire he had originated from. He vowed never to tell anyone about his experience.

General Harcourt sat with the Judge Advocate General as they viewed the video feed taken from the Apache. The image was exceptionally clear and showed exactly what General Harcourt thought it would.

"So what are we going to do?" the JAG asked after they rewound and viewed the video a third time, just to assure themselves that they had seen what they seen.

They had seen the first fireball. And also something come flying out of it. General Harcourt started as he saw what appeared to be two sets of wings in the image. Then there was the second fireball, which appeared directly in front of the Apache and appeared to engulf the aircraft for an instant before the image flickered and cleared. Only this time it wasn't over Kuwait. It was over Jones Beach. The breakers on the beach were all too clear.

"It's obvious they didn't intentionally steal the aircraft," the JAG continued. "Nor did they disappear of their own free will." He stroked his chin. "And if we decide to go ahead with the charges, this is bound to come out. I think we should let them go."

"How do we explain them reappearing after eight years?" General Harcourt asked. "I don't think we can tell the public the truth about what happened."

"Don't worry," the JAG said. "We'll think of something." He touched the Illuminati pin on the inside of his lapel. "We always do."

The MP's escorted Don and Jim into General Harcourt's office. They stood at attention while he finished reading the files.

"The two of you can go now, sergeant," he said.

"Yes, sir," he said, then both did an about face and left the room.

"At ease, gentlemen," the general said. "I just want to ask you a few questions."

"Yes sir," Don replied.

"Taylor, Donald Michael," he said. "United States Army Reservist. Rueben, James Madison. United States Army Reservist. On 26 February, 1991, you went out on a seek-and-destroy mission during operation Desert Storm and vanished without a trace. You were presumed killed in action." He closed the files. "And yet, here you stand, eight years later. Care to tell me what happened to you?"

"I am unsure, sir," Don said. "We went out on the mission as instructed. At approximately 2100, my wingman indicated that he picked up what appeared to be a lock-on signal from an unknown source. Since I did not want to risk the group, I decided to return to base in case it was a faulty indicator. It was at that moment that my wingman's helicopter exploded and my own ship sustained damage from flying debris. I ordered my second wingman to return to base immediately when I heard my own lock-on sound. When he was away, I saw…" He stopped, still unable to believe what had happened next.

"Go on," the general said.

"I saw…a pair of fireballs," Don said. "About thirty seconds apart. I managed to avoid the first one, but I was unable to avoid the second one. After I flew through it, I was over Jones Beach State Park, where I crashed…"

"Wrong," the general said.

"Sir?" Don asked. He looked over at Jim. "I don't understand."

"You did not crash at Jones Beach," he said. "You were forced down over Iraqi territory. You were both captured by an Iraqi patrol and held as POW's until a few days ago when you were rescued by a SEAL team while you were being transferred to another facility."

"But sir," Don started to protest. "That's not what…"

"Officially," the general said. "That is what happened. Don't contradict me on this, gentlemen. I'm doing both of you a favor. You went down in Iraqi territory; you were captured, imprisoned and then freed by a Navy SEAL team. Is that understood?"

"But, sir…" Jim started.

"Is that understood?" General Harcourt repeated.

"Yes, sir," they both said.

"Good," he said. "Mr. Rueben, you are dismissed. I believe your family is waiting to see you. Mr. Taylor, I need to speak with you a moment."

Don watched as Jim did an about-face and left the general's office. He had a questioning look on his face when he turned his attention back to the general.

"Mr. Taylor," he said. "A real heavy-hitter went to bat for you over this. Don't ask me why. All I know is this person just did you a big favor. Don't blow it by leaking what really happened to the press."

"Understood, sir," Don said. "May I ask the general a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What exactly is our status now?" Don asked. "Jim and I were both Reservists when this all started. I know Jim was on the last leg of his tour when all this happened and I had three years left in the Reserves. Are we still part of the Army, or..."

"Your tour officially ended in 1994," General Harcourt said. "As far as I'm concerned, you and Mr. Rueben are no longer in the military."

"And our back pay?"

The general raised his eyebrow. "Don't push your luck, Mr. Taylor," he said. "You're lucky we don't make you pay for the Apache you crashed." He looked at the report. After a few minutes, he closed it. "You'll get your combat pay, Mr. Taylor, as well as one years back pay. That's the best I can do. And just to let you know, your flight status has been revoked until we complete our investigation."

"For how long?" he asked. "With my status revoked, I won't be able to use my civilian license." Don had gotten a civilian pilot's license two months after entering the Reserves, intending to take Maria Chavez up on her offer of becoming a pilot with the NYPD. _Elisa would have loved that. _But with his flight status revoked, he could forget about ever becoming a pilot again.

"Just until we finished our investigation," General Harcourt said.

_In other words, _Don thought bitterly. _Never. _"Is there anything else, sir?" he asked.

"No," General Harcourt said. "You're dismissed for now. Head over to the Administrations building so they can process your discharge."

"Yes, sir," Don said. He turned and left. _I wonder how Elisa's going to react to all this, _he wondered.

**July 7, 1999**

**23rd Precinct, Manhattan**

Elisa stood back and watched the TV as Travis Marshall reported on the 'miraculous' return of Jim Rueben and Don.

"The Pentagon released a statement earlier this morning about the daring rescue mission that liberated the two pilots from Iraqi custody on July 1st," Marshall continued. "According to Pentagon officials, members of SEAL Team Five intercepted a convoy that was transporting the two Army Reserve pilots who have been missing and presumed killed in action since February 26, 1991. No word has been released concerning their condition, but Pentagon officials have said that the two pilots, Jim Rueben and Don Taylor, are in high spirits and are eager to rejoin their families. After eight years, I can understand."

Maria Chavez turned off the TV and turned to the squad room. "Okay, people," she said. "You've all heard the good news." She gave a brief smile to Elisa. "Now let's get back to work. We've got bad guys to arrest." She headed for her office. "Detective Maza, I'd like a word with you."

Elisa followed the captain into her office. She waited until Maria closed the door before letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

"I guess it's a bit of a shock," Maria said. "Finding out he's still alive after all these years."

"You have no idea," Elisa said.

"I guess that's why you've been so tense the past couple of days," Maria said. "How long have you known?"

"Not long," Elisa said. "I only found out he was still alive a couple of days ago." Which was essentially true, she thought, but she couldn't tell her what _really _happened.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Maria asked.

_Time for a convincing lie,_ she thought. "I…I couldn't," she said. "I was ordered not to."

"I see," she said. She could tell that Elisa was hiding something, but she decided not to pry. _She'll tell me when she's ready, _she thought. "Well, I'm real happy for you, Elisa," she continued. "It's not often you get a second shot at someone like him. I hope you can keep a grip on him this time."

"I…I hope so, too," Elisa said, even as her mind swirled in torment. _What am I going to tell him?_

"I guess you'll be wanting this back," Maria said. She took Elisa's automatic out of her desk and handed it back to her. "You feel up to returning to work?"

"Not yet," Elisa said as she holstered the weapon. "I'm still trying to process everything that's happened."

"Perfectly understandable," Maria said. "I'll give you until Friday. I expect you to be ready to go by then."

"Of course, captain," Elisa said. She took a look at her watch. "I've got a few things to take care of. You need me for anything else?"

"No," Maria said. "Go on and enjoy yourself. You'll let me know when the two of you set a date?"

Elisa was taken aback by her question until she realized the meaning behind it. _We were going to get married after he got back, _she remembered. "Sure," she said before Maria could ask her what was wrong. "We'll let you know as soon as possible." She quickly left the Captain's office before Maria could see how unsettled she was by her question.

**The Eyrie Building**

Hudson turned off the TV as soon as Elisa came into the entertainment room. Hearing her enter, he turned and looked at her expectantly.

"Good evening, lass," he said. "How are ye feeling tonight? I was just watchin' the news and heard about yer fiancé…"

"I'm fine, Hudson," Elisa said. "Have you seen Goliath? I need to talk to him."

"Last I saw of him, he was heading down to the library," Hudson said. "Have ye checked there?"

"Not yet," Elisa said. "But I will. Thanks, Hudson."

The old gargoyle watched her leave in search of his clan's leader and let out a heavy sigh. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to tell him. "I only hope he doesn't tear the castle apart when she breaks the news to him," he said to no one in particular.

"Goliath?" Elisa called out hesitantly as she entered the library. "Goliath, are you in here?" She noted that the lights were turned off. She reached around for the light switch.

"I am here, Elisa," his voice rumbled in the darkness.

"Where?" she asked. "I can't see…" She paused as her hand found the switch. "Wait a minute. Let me get the lights…"

"I prefer it dark," Goliath rumbled.

"Okay," she said in understanding. She hadn't been there when they had awakened the night after they found out about Don's return, and she hadn't been there tonight either. Which worried Goliath. _He's afraid I'm going to leave him for Don, _she thought. _I don't blame him. _"Goliath," she said, screwing up her courage. "I need to talk to you."

"About?"

"I think you know," she said, stepping into the library. She had a pretty good idea of where Goliath was; she just had to listen to the sound of his voice. She did note a slight tremor in his voice; she wondered if it was repressed grief or suppressed rage.

"I do," he admitted. "I wondered why you didn't greet us tonight."

"I had to talk to Captain Chavez," she said. "She took me off administrative leave when she heard about Don and figured that's what had me so upset."

She heard him rumble and guessed that mentioning Don's name was probably _not _a good idea. "Goliath, I really need to talk to you about this."

"I am here, Elisa," he said, his voice coming from behind her. She jumped in surprise as she spun around. _For someone as big as he was, he sure could move quietly when he wanted to, _she thought.

After she settled down, she looked up at him. "Goliath, you know how I feel about you," she said.

"I…thought I did," he said. "But with the reappearance of your former mate…"

"Don and I were never…" she started, but she paused, realizing how false the words were. "Well, we were in _that _sense," she said. "But we didn't get the chance to make the commitment to each other the way Broadway and Angela or my brother and Maggie did."

"But you still carry the symbol," Goliath said. "You still carry the ring he gave you as a sign of your love for each other."

Elisa looked down and pulled out the dog tags she had worn ever since the night Don reappeared. The engagement ring still dangled from the chain.

Goliath captured one of the tags in his hand and read the name stamped into the metal. "Is this the name you wish to take as your own?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," Elisa said. "Part of me says yes, but another part of me, the part that loves you." She paused as she looked up at him. "Isn't so sure." She reached up and captured Goliath's hand. "Goliath, I need time to figure this out. I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to let go of Don either. You have to give me a chance to work this out on my own."

"But what if you decide…" he started, but Elisa quickly silenced him by placing her fingers on his lips, just like that one time after Puck turned her into a gargoyle and Goliath began having feelings for her other than mere friendship.

"I don't know what I'm going to decide," she said. "So let's not worry about that until it actually happens." She pulled her hand away and reached up to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "I just need some time to work this out, Goliath," she said, encouraged by the fact that he didn't pull away from her. "Will you wait for me?"

He smiled hesitantly in the darkness, but she could still see it. "I shall wait for you until the end of time if need be," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

Elisa smiled and rested her head against his chest. It wasn't long before he realized she had gone to sleep in his embrace. He looked down and saw the hint of a tear running down her cheek.

_To be concluded…_


	3. Love Lost and Found Part Three

Love Lost and Found

Part Three

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

_Previously…_

"There's someone else," Jason said, realizing why Elisa had pulled away from him.

"Yes," Elisa said hesitantly, but then said, "No, not really." Sighing, she brought her hands up and rubbed her neck, trying to come to grips with her emotions. "I mean, there's someone I care for deeply, but it would be impossible to get involved with him."

Outside on the roof, Goliath turned and left.

_Hunter's Moon Part Two_

"You know how I feel about you, right?" Elisa asked softly as Goliath brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"How we both feel," Goliath said. "Yes."

"Good," she said. She quickly jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, then surprised him with a quick kiss on his lips.

_Hunter's Moon Part Three_

"But it does fit," Lexington said. "Elisa goes back to Jones Beach, sees the helicopter come out of the Phoenix Gate and believes that the pilot is her ex-boyfriend."

"It could be more than that, lad," Hudson said. "It could be that the pilot _is _her ex."

Goliath was silent. If indeed it were Don Taylor, returned from beyond, what would the future hold for his relationship with Elisa?

Brooklyn remembered, thinking back to his last conversation with Thomas Maza, Elisa's son, just days before he, Sata and the twins disappeared through the Phoenix Gate.

"_Don't tell anyone about my father," _he had said. _"It could mean the difference between life and death for everyone. Including Goliath and my mom."_

"But you still carry the symbol," Goliath said. "You still carry the ring he gave you as a sign of your love for each other."

Elisa looked down and pulled out the dog tags she had worn ever since the night Don reappeared. The engagement ring still dangled from the chain.

Goliath captured one of the tags in his hand and read the name stamped into the metal. "Is this the name you wish to take as your own?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," Elisa said. "Part of me says yes, but another part of me, the part that loves you." She paused as she looked up at him. "Isn't so sure."

"Will you wait for me?"

He smiled hesitantly in the darkness, but she could still see it. "I shall wait for you until the end of time if need be," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

_Love Lost and Found Part Two_

Love Lost and Found Part Three

**July 10, 1999**

**Steward Army Base**

Elisa stood outside the main gate, waiting for Don to emerge. It had been four days since Xanatos talked General Harcourt into securing Don's release, and now she was ready to take him home. She still didn't know what she was going to tell him regarding the gargoyles, not to mention her relationship with Goliath, but she decided to take it one step at a time, and pray that things worked out. _And if I did decide to stay with Don, _she thought. _I hope that Goliath understands._

A Humvee pulled up to the main gate and Don got out of the back of the vehicle, dressed in his Class A uniform. He took one look at her through the fence and smiled as he pulled a duffel bag and the suitcase and garment bag she had left at the hospital out of the back of the vehicle.

"Need a lift?" she asked him.

"I guess I do," he said as he looked at the car. _Her _car now, he thought, remembering the night he had left. After a night of tender kisses and caresses, he had left the keys to the Fairlane tied to a single rose with a desert camouflage handkerchief. He noted that she was wearing the handkerchief around her neck. He walked through the gate and set the bags down by the car in order to give her a very intense kiss and a hug. "I hope you took better care of this one than you did the Datsun," he quipped.

Elisa quickly pulled away from him. "The Datsun was a piece of…"

Don quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't say it," he said. "Its ghost may come back to haunt you." He took the keys from her hand and opened the trunk, pausing for a minute while he looked for a place to put his luggage. "You sure got a lot of junk in here," he called out.

"It's all tools of the trade," she said as she joined him. She shifted the riot gear and vest that she normally kept inside off to one side so Don could put the suitcase and garment bag inside. He closed the trunk and handed her the keys. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"You know me," he said. "I was born ready. Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Elisa smiled as they got into the car and drove away, leaving Steward Army Base behind them.

Don waited several minutes before sitting back to look at Elisa. He could tell that there was something bothering her.

"Okay, sweetheart," he said. "Pull over."

"What?" she asked, not sure she heard what he said.

"Pull over," he said. "Right here."

Elisa pulled the car over to the side of the road and put it into 'Neutral'. "Now what?" she asked.

"Tell me what's going on," he said.

"I don't know…"

"Come on, Elisa," he said. "I know you. I can tell when you're hiding something." He paused and looked at her. "So…" He waited a few moments before continuing. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess? You know what happened to me," he stated. "Don't you?"

"Yeah," she said. She looked over at him. "I guess you know by now that this is 1999, not 1991."

"I actually found out that first night in the hospital," he said.

Elisa was shocked by his admission. "And you didn't tell me you knew?"

"I thought maybe someone was playing out a first season episode of 'Airwolf' on me," he said. "Trying to get me to think it was 1999. But after couple of days, I guess I was just waiting for you to tell me the truth."

"I guess I should have told you," she said.

"Yes, you should have," he said. "But now I'm trying to figure out what really happened. Why is this 1999 and not 1991?"

Elisa took a deep breath, prepared to tell him the truth. "Do you remember that movie we saw that last night before you left for Kuwait?"

Don thought back. "Yeah," he said. "That movie about the two sailors. What was it called?" He thought for a moment. "'The Philadelphia Experiment'," he said finally. Then he realized the connection. "You mean I fell through some kind of hole in time?"

"Not exactly," she said. "More like you flew through one. One minute you were over Kuwait and it was 1991, the next you were here and it's 1999."

"And you're worried that I'm going to end up going back to the exact time and place I left," he said. "Just like the one sailor did in the movie?"

"No," she said. "It's something else."

"What?" he asked.

She looked over at him. "I…can't tell you just yet," she said. "It's kind of complicated."

"This whole week has been complicated, Elisa," he said, but he decided not to press the issue. _She'll tell me when she's ready. _"Question," he said. "How do you know about all this? You weren't exactly as big a 'Trek' fan as I was. You tended to shy away from that stuff."

"I've…" she started, then hesitated, wondering how she was going to explain Brooklyn and Sata's TimeDancing. "I know someone who disappeared the exact same way you did," she said. "When he reappeared a few minutes later, he was forty years older and had a wife and two kids. I was afraid the same thing was going to happen to you."

"Really?" Don said, his eyes going wide in disbelief. "I have got to meet this guy."

_You may already have, _she thought. _You just might not remember it._ She looked over at him. "I'll see about introducing you to him," she said. "Maybe in a few days, after you get settled. But right now, there are some other people who are dying to see you again." She put the Fairlane in gear and started down the road, heading for home.

**Maza Home**

Diane Maza hugged Don as he came in the front door. "Don, it's so good to see you again," she said. She stepped back and took in the Class A Uniform. "You look exactly as I remember you."

"It's good to see you, too," he said. He looked over at Peter Maza and noted the forced smile on his face. "How have the two of you been?"

"We've done all right," Diane said. She looked at Elisa. "Has she told you…"

"Not everything," he said. "But enough to get an idea of what happened. It's still kind of hard to believe that this is 1999. I guess I've got a lot of catching up to do." He looked around the living room. "I thought Derek and Beth were going to be here."

"Beth is out in Flagstaff working on an archeological dig," Peter said. "She called earlier and said she'd try to make it back out here in a couple of weeks." He paused as he looked at Diane and Elisa. "As for Derek…" He went over to the door leading to the kitchen.

"Don," Elisa said. "I think this is something you need to sit down for."

"Why?" he asked. "Derek couldn't have changed that much in eight…" He stopped when Peter opened the door and Derek and Maggie walked into the living room. "Holy cats!" he exclaimed. He almost missed the sofa as his knees gave out.

"Hi, Don," Derek Maza, now known as Talon said. "How's it been?"

Don looked up and down Talon's muscular frame. "Holy…Derek, what the hell happened to you?"

"It's a long story," Elisa said. "Most of it isn't pretty."

"Is this going to be a 'mad scientist' story?" he asked. "Please tell me this isn't going to be a 'mad scientist' story."

Talon looked at Elisa. "I'm afraid so, Don," he said.

Don looked over at Elisa. "Lucy," he said in his best Ricky Ricardo accent. "You got a lotta 'splainin' to do."

"I guess we've all got some 'splainin' to do," she said. "Where do we start?"

"How about at the beginning?" he said.

It took them a while, several hours in fact, to get Don caught up on current events, but they decided to skip any talk about the gargoyles, feeling that he wasn't ready to hear about them just yet. It would only result in having to reveal Elisa's involvement with Goliath.

"So what are you going to do now?" Peter asked.

"I'm still trying to figure out my options," Don said. "I'm grounded for now. My flight status has been revoked, which means I can't fly until it's reinstated. I've still got my security clearance, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding a good job."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Diane asked.

"I figured I'd just go back to the apartment with Elisa," he said. "Unless, there's a reason I shouldn't…" He took a quick look at her hands. He noticed that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but she wasn't wearing the engagement ring either. _Something else was up,_ he realized.

"No, it's fine," Elisa quickly put in. She looked at her watch. "We better get going. I have to go on duty in a few hours and I need to get some sack time in before I do." She got up and went over to her mother, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you guys later."

"Right," Peter said. He shook Don's hand and watched as he followed Elisa out. After they were gone, he shared a worried look with his wife.

It took Don several minutes to realize they were going the wrong way. "Elisa, I don't mean to be a backseat driver," he said. "But the apartment is back that way."

"I…I know," she said. "I don't live there anymore."

"Why not?" he asked. "Was it because of me?"

She sighed. "No," she said. "Something…happened. I just couldn't live there anymore."

Now he was worried. "What happened?" he asked. Then a horrifying thought crossed his mind. "Were you…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he couldn't avoid the thought of someone assaulting her, violating her…

"No," she said, knowing what was going through his mind. "It wasn't that. I was…abducted a few years ago. Ever since I became a detective, I've made my share of enemies. Some of them hate me more than others." She sighed. "After it was over, I was constantly jumping at shadows, waiting for someone else to attack me. I just couldn't bring myself to go back there after that."

"I think I understand," he said, thinking that this was what was bothering her. He rested his hand on her shoulder in support. "And believe me, now that we're together again, I won't let anything like that ever happen to you again."

She forced a smile as she turned the wheel and pulled into the parking garage.

Don watched as Elisa unlocked the door. "I guess we're not going to have a replay of what happened the night I showed you our apartment," he said.

"Not today," she said, remembering that first wonderful night together with him in their first apartment, the apartment she ended up living in for five years without him. "I need to get some sleep and besides, I don't have a blindfold handy."

He tugged at the desert camouflage handkerchief around her neck. "I thought that's what this was for."

Elisa batted his hand away. "I'm not really...up for that at the moment," she said. "Right now, I just want to get some sleep." She opened the door to the apartment.

"Very nice," Don said as he followed her inside. "This has got to set you back a pretty penny."

"You'd think it would," she said. "But it doesn't. I'm still trying to figure out why."

Don looked down when he felt something rubbing against his legs. "And this would be..."

Elisa reached down and picked up the cat. "This is Cagney," she said.

"Pleased to meet you, Cagney," Don said as he reached out and began scratching the cat under his chin. Cagney closed his eyes and purred in blissful contentment. "How long have you had him?" he asked.

"About seven years now," she said. "After you disappeared, I couldn't bear the thought…" She paused as she struggled with the words.

"You couldn't bear the thought of coming home every night to an empty apartment," he said. He stopped scratching Cagney under the chin and shifted his fingers to the base of the cat's right ear.

"No, I couldn't," Elisa said. "And I think I needed to know that there was someone around that depended on me."

"So you got a cat," he said. "I always figured you for a cat person, Elisa. At least, you limited yourself to just one." He paused as he looked around. "There is just one, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "Cagney's the only one. I don't think I could handle more than that." She set the cat down and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"Tired?" he asked. He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her arms. Elisa started at the contact, not expecting it, and Don noted a look of panic in her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, trying desperately to get herself under control. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought." She smiled up at him. "I really need to get some sleep, Don. I don't think I've gotten very much since this all started."

Don rubbed her arm briefly. "You want some company?" he asked.

"N…no," she said, resisting the urge to pull away. "I'm not really feeling up for that right now." She carefully stepped out of his grip and turned towards the stairs. "I think we should take things slow for a while," she said. "At least until we can get caught up again."

"But I've only been gone for six months," he said.

"For you, it's been six months," she reminded him, turning to face him. "For me, it's been eight years. I need time…"

"I understand," Don said. "You're still trying to process all this." He looked at the couch. "I guess I can crash down here for a while until we get this all figured out."

"You don't mind?" she asked. "You're not upset?"

"No," he said as he took her in his arms. "Like you said, you need time. I can wait. And it's not like it's the first time I spent the night out on the couch."

Elisa gave him a quick hug. "Thank you," she said softly before pulling away and heading upstairs to the bedroom.

Elisa closed the door slowly and found herself fingering the latch, wondering whether or not she should lock it. She knew she could trust Don to keep his word, but she wasn't sure she could trust herself. She alternately wanted him and didn't want him to follow her into her bed, so she considered locking the door. Not really to keep him locked out, but to keep herself locked in. Finally, she pulled her hand away from the latch, leaving it unturned. _Whatever happens, happens, _she thought. She'd deal with the consequences later. She quickly undressed and crawled into bed. She was sound asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

Don carefully opened the door and looked at her, asleep on the bed. He could tell that something was bothering her, and it wasn't his 'miraculous' return from beyond. There was something else. Something she wasn't telling him. He walked over to the bed and gazed down at her.

"You'll tell me when you're ready, sweetheart," he said as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. She murmured softly in her sleep at the touch and he backed away slightly, not wanting to wake her up. As she settled back down, he bent over and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek before leaving, closing the door slowly on his way out.

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa stood on the parapet, waiting for Goliath and the rest of the gargoyles to awaken for the night. She needed to tell them what was going on. She still needed time to sort things out, and the last thing she needed would be the added complication of having to explain the gargoyles if one of them, Goliath in particular, happened to drop by while Don was there. She stepped back as she saw the sun set and then heard the all-too-familiar sound of stone cracking apart as the gargoyles awakened.

Goliath turned towards her almost immediately, as if he sensed hadher presence. He approached her slowly. "Elisa?" he asked.

Elisa stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around the lavender gargoyle as far as she could reach. "I'm okay, Goliath," she said. "I just needed to see you guys. I wanted to make sure I was still welcome."

Goliath placed his talon under her chin, tilting her head up towards his. "Always, my Elisa," he said. "Why shouldn't you be?"

She sighed as she looked at the rest of the gargoyles, who looked at her anxiously. "I was worried that after everything that's been going on the past couple of days..."

"Ye'll always be welcome here, lass," Hudson said. "No matter what yuir decision may be. Make no mistake about that." He paused for a moment, looking at Goliath. "Have ye..."

"No," Elisa said. "But that is something I need to talk to you about." She took a deep breath and stepped away from Goliath before continuing. "I need you guys to keep clear of the apartment for a while."

"Why?" Goliath asked.

"Because Don..." She paused, looking down at her feet for a moment before bringing her head up again to face him. "Don's staying with me for a while."

"I thought you said..." Goliath started.

"I did," Elisa said quickly. "You have to understand, Goliath. Don needs time to adjust to what's going on. I can't just abandon him."

"Can he not stay with your parents?" he asked. "I am certain they would welcome him…"

"Don is my responsibility, Goliath," she said. "I can't dump him on my folks, at least not yet. He wouldn't understand."

"I…see," Goliath said.

"I don't think you do, Goliath," Elisa said.

"I do, Elisa," he said. "You are trying to make a decision between two prospective mates, both of whom you love dearly, and neither of whom you want to hurt. Una was in the same position as you when I brought Griff forward in time from 1940."

"But this is different, Goliath," Elisa said.

"How so?"

"For one thing, Don hasn't been gone for fifty-five years, Goliath," Elisa said. "He's only been gone for eight. And Griff and Leo were both friends, rookery brothers. They grew up together. Griff at least had a home to come to when you brought him forward in time, and he accepted the fact that Una chose Leo as her mate." She paused as she turned away from him. "Una had time to grieve, Goliath. Fifty years worth. I didn't get that luxury. Just as I was starting to get over him, the Phoenix Gate dumped him back into my life. I…we…we both need time to adjust to this. I need to know if what I feel for Don is real, or if I'm just trying to hold on to the memory of what we had. I don't think I could do that if I dumped him on my folks."

"Very well," Goliath said. "We will honor your wishes." He stepped up to her and took her in his arms, thankful that she didn't resist, instead wrapping her own arms around him. "But Elisa," he then said. "You do need to make a decision. Not today or tomorrow, but soon. And Don should be told about us, before he learns about us on his own from a less than reliable source."

"I'll tell him," Elisa said reluctantly.

**July 11, 1999**

**Elisa's apartment**

Don woke up and stretched, then became aware of a weight on his chest. He looked down and caught sight of a pair of cat's eyes staring back at him.

"Hey, cat," he said. "What are you up to?"

Cagney just yawned and settled back down, curling back up into a ball on his chest.

"Yeah, you're a cat alright," he said. "C'mon, off! You may be comfortable, but I'm not." He sat up, and Cagney, feeling his resting spot shifting under him, jumped off Don's chest and onto the floor. He gave the human a sour look as Don stood up and arched his back, trying to work out the stiffness. After that was done, he looked at his watch.

_Three in the morning,_ he thought. _No wonder I feel stiff. I must have slept on that couch all night._ He looked towards the stairs leading up to the bedroom. _I wonder if Elisa'd mind if I crashed on her bed for a while. Probably not, but I doubt I'd be able to get back to sleep anyway._ Sitting back down on the couch, he took off his shirt and shoes before digging a sweatsuit out of his duffel bag and heading upstairs to change. _Maybe I'll feel better after a good jog, _he thought. A few minutes later, he came back downstairs and headed for the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to look for a bottle of water.

"Who's she feeding, the Fifth Army division?" he asked openly, seeing the amount of food inside. He looked back at Cagney, who sauntered into the kitchen. "This isn't all for you, is it?" he asked. Cagney just looked at him and meowed. Don looked back inside and located a juice bottle. Grabbing it, he closed the refrigerator and headed for the door. He paused as he found a set of keys and a note by the door.

"_Don, here's a set of keys in case you go out," _the note read._ "I should be back by seven. Elisa."_

He looked at the keys for a moment before attaching them to the chain of his dog tags and heading out.

**Central Park**

Don breathed deeply the early morning air as he rested for a minute and stretched out his leg. He looked at his watch, noting that it was almost four, and considered heading back to the apartment, but decided against it._ I really should, _he thought, but he'd been cooped up at Stewart for five days and he'd been in the hospital for five days before that. He needed the workout. He took another deep breath and continued his run.

"I haven't seen you around," he heard someone say. He looked to the side and saw someone else in a sweatsuit and an 'I Love NY' baseball cap jog up beside him. "New in town?"

"Not really," Don said. "I've just been gone for a while."

The other jogger looked at him. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked. "You look familiar." Then he caught sight of the 'ARMY' letters stenciled on the front of Don's gray sweat-top. "Wait, you're that pilot, ain't you?" he said. "The one the Army rescued from Iraq last week."

"There were two of us actually," Don said, deciding to keep up the official premise that he'd been held in an Iraqi POW camp for the past eight years. "But yeah, that's me."

"Man, it's nice to run into someone normal for a change," the jogger said.

"Pal, 'normal' isn't what I'd use to describe my life," Don said.

"Ex-POW's I can handle," the jogger said. "It's those freaky gargoyles I have a problem with."

"You're worried about rooftop statuary?" Don asked, amused.

"I didn't have a problem with 'em until they started to coming to life," he said.

"Right," Don said. _Whew! _he thought. _What has this guy been smoking? _Then he thought about Derek and Maggie. _Then again…_

"It's true, man," he said. "They started showing up about five years ago. They've been hurting people, making 'em disappear, breaking into places and stealing stuff. They trashed St. Damien's Cathedral three years ago after they blew up the 23rd Precinct police station, and then they screwed up the weather for the past two years."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Don said.

"I've seen 'em," the jogger said. "I was there when they trashed St. Damien's. And I've even seen 'em here at the park. There's been at least a dozen times when I've been out jogging and I see a couple of new statues where there ain't been one before, and then the next day, 'poof' they're gone."

"I think you need to cut back on the jogging a bit," Don said.

"Don't believe me, then," the jogger fired back. "Just don't say I didn't try to warn you." He picked up the pace and Don watched as he pulled away.

_Man, this city just gets weirder and weirder, doesn't it, _he thought. He slowed a bit before turning aroundand heading back the way he came.

About five minutes later, he ran into a small group of people; a young couple who were being accosted by a trio of thugs. _Typical New York, _he thought as he closed on the scene.

"Take a nice quiet stroll through the park, you said," the young blond woman said. "Nothing will happen, you said."

"Just shut up and hand us the purse, lady," one of the three muggers said.

"You really don't know who I am, do you," Margot Yale said.

"Lady, I don't care if you're the queen of Sheba," the mugger said. "Give up the purse. And the wallet, pal," he said to the woman's male companion.

"Nothing changes in this city, does it," Don challenged. Surprised, the three muggers turned and looked at him. "I'm gone for eight years, and there are still muggers in Central Park."

"Who the hell are you?" their leader said angrily.

"Oh, don't mind me," Don said. "I'm just passing through."

"Oh, you're a funny man," he said. "Richie, take care of him."

"Right," 'Richie' said. Sneering as he pulled a knife, he advanced on Don.

Don noted the length of steel in his hand and stepped back a bit, shifting into a defensive stance as he waited for him to make the first move. The knife-wielder didn't keep him waiting long. He lunged forward and Don caught the arm, pulled his attacker off-balance, and brought his knee up into the thug's stomach. He let out a startled 'whumph' as the air was driven from his lungs and then Don brought his elbow down between his shoulder blades. The knife-wielder suddenly found himself face down on the pavement, his arm twisted behind him in a tight grip and Don's foot pressing into the back of his shoulder. He released the knife after Don gave the arm a sudden twist.

The other two watched as Don brought down their cohort and the burlier of the two charged forward. Don saw him coming and quickly brought his foot up out of the knife-wielder's shoulder, then pistoned it out, catching the second mugger in the stomach. He doubled over and collapsed to the ground, trying to remember how to breathe.

The sound of running feet made the third realize that their intended victims were making a break for it. Angry, he turned his attention back to Don. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that, man," he said as he pulled a gun.

There was a sudden surprised look on Don's face at the same time he heard something land behind him. He was suddenly jerked around and found himself facing a pair of glowing red eyes as he felt the gun torn from his grasp.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the owner of the eyes said in sharp but very feminine voice. The mugger made a strangled sound in his throat and promptly passed out. His captor let him drop to the ground.

Don looked at the newcomer in surprise. _It couldn't be,_ he thought. He relaxed his grip on the mugger he held and his captive took the opportunity to get away. His partner joined him in his escape.

"What are you doing?" the newcomer cried out. "You're letting those two…"

"Elisa?" Don asked. "Elisa, is that you?"

Delilah quickly stepped back, realizing the mistake she had just made. _Talon told us to stay away from him, _she thought as she recognized Don from the picture Elisa's brother had shown her. She turned around and fled back into the park.

"Elisa, wait!" Don called out, but it was too late. She was gone.

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside. The instant she did, she found a firm hand clamped onto her shoulder. Reacting, she twisted the hand off her and shoved her attacker into the wall. It wasn't until she saw who it was that she backed away.

"Don, what's going on?" she asked as she released him, wondering about his actions. "What was that all about?"

"That's what I'd like to know," he said, turning to face her. "What happened to you?"

"I had to work," she said. "You know I'm on the night shift."

"As what?" Don snapped. "I thought you were a cop."

"I am," Elisa said.

"Then what was that I saw in the park?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, even as she realized what had happened.

"I saw you in Central Park, Elisa," Don said. "Only you were different. You had white hair, wings and a tail."

Elisa sighed as she turned away from Don. "I was hoping you wouldn't find out until I had a chance to tell you," she said. "Her name is Delilah. She's a…a gargoyle."

"You mean they're real?" Don said.

"Who told you?" she asked.

"A guy I ran into in the park told me about gargoyles coming to life, but I didn't believe him," Don said. "At least, not until I ran into her. Who is she? And why does she look like you?"

"It's a long story, Don," Elisa said. She looked at the slightly damp sweatsuit he wore before continuing. "I promise I'll tell you about it after you get showered and changed."

"Okay," Don said. "I'm going to hold you to that promise." He pulled a change of clothes out of the duffel bag and headed up the stairs to change. After the door closed, Elisa grabbed the telephone and called her brother.

"Derek, it's Elisa," she said after she heard her brother pick up the phone. "Don and I are coming down to the Sanctuary. He found out about the gargoyles."

**The Labyrinth**

"So these are them, huh," Don said, taking in the sight of the five stone gargoyles. Elisa had told him about the gargoyles, and then had brought him down to the Labyrinth to see the clones for himself. He seemed to relax a bit after she told him that they would be stone by the time they got there.

"Yeah," Talon said. "This is Brentwood, Hollywood, Malibu and Burbank." He rested his hand on each one in turn, and then gestured to the remaining one. "You already met Delilah."

Don approached the stone female. "She looks just like you," he said, looking back at Elisa. "How…"

"Sevarius," Talon said. "Delilah's a clone, just like the others. Sevarius created her using DNA from Elisa and another gargoyle."

"They're clones," he said. "So there are other gargoyles, not just these five?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "I know this is a lot to take in, Don..."

"To say the least," he said.

"But despite what you've probably heard, they're not that bad," Elisa continued. "They've even helped me out from time to time."

"How come you didn't tell me about them right off the bat?" he asked.

"I…I didn't know how you'd react if I just came out and told you," Elisa said. "I wanted to prepare you first." She sighed and turned away from him. "I guess I should have told you to begin with."

"When were you going to tell me?" Don asked.

Elisa looked at her brother. "I was going to introduce you to them on Wednesday when we had Family Night," she said. "I figured that would have been the best time to do it."

"Don't feel bad, Don," Talon said. "You're not the first person she's done this to." When Don looked at him, he continued. "She didn't tell Mom and Dad about them for about two years, and Captain Chavez didn't find out about them until the precinct was blown up. She still doesn't know the whole story."

"How did you find out about them?" Don asked.

"Xanatos told me about them when I was working for him," Talon said. "It was before 'this' happened to me," he then added, spreading his arms.

"I get the feeling there's more to your transformation than what you told me before," Don said.

"Yeah," Elisa said. "A lot more. Don, you have to understand that the world's gone through some serious changes since you disappeared, and not all of it has been for the best. I was hoping we could take things one step at a time, but now…" She paused, sighing. "Don, there are some things you have a right to know, but I'm not sure you're ready for them yet. I don't want to overwhelm you…"

Don stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Elisa, you know I trust you," he said. "Whatever you need to tell me, you will in your own time." He turned her until she was facing him again. "We've got the rest of our lives together to play catch-up." Facing her, Don didn't see Talon slowly shaking his head.

"You won't push?" Elisa asked.

"Not unless you make me," he said. "I would like to meet these other gargoyles, though," he added. "If we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together, I think I should at least know who your friends are." He noted the look of hesitation in her eyes. "They are your friends, I hope," he said.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Why don't we get you settled in first? I know there are a couple of things you need to get taken care."

"Like…" he asked.

"Like getting your driver's license renewed for one thing," she said. "You have been gone for eight years, after all."

Don pulled out his wallet and took out his driver's license. "I guess I do need to do that, don't I?" he said.

"Yeah," Elisa said. "And after we get you squared away, then we can talk about introducing you to the guys."

"I hope so," Don said as he took her in his arms. "I'd hate to think that you were trying to keep any more secrets from me."

"Don't worry, Don," she said. "I promise that I'll tell you everything that I can."

**July 13, 1999**

**23rd Precinct**

"Hey, partner," Matt Bluestone said as he approached Elisa's car. "Haven't seen you in a few days? What's been going on with this new guy in your life?"

Elisa blinked as he smiled at her, then realized Matt didn't know the whole story about Don. "He's not the new guy in my life, Matt," she said defensively. "He's more like…"

"Don't say you're two ships that passed in the night," Matt said. "That's a tired old cliché, and somehow I don't think it really fits with what I heard."

"What have you heard?" she asked.

"Slightly more than the official story," he said. "I know that he disappeared over Kuwait in '91, and that he showed up a couple of weeks ago over Long Island, but that's about it. And for some reason, you've seemed to form some kind of attachment to him…"

"I guess you haven't heard then," Elisa said.

"Heard what," he asked.

"Don, the 'new guy' in my life" Elisa said, using her fingers to emphasize the point. "We were going to get married after he got back from Kuwait. He's my fiancé."

"Oh, man," Matt said. "Does Goliath know?"

"He knows," Elisa said. "And that's one of the problems. I don't know if I'm going to be able to chose between the two of them. I'm going to have to eventually, but I know that when I do, I'm going to break the other's heart. I can't do that."

"And I thought my love life was rough," he said. "Have you told him about Goliath?"

"No, not yet," she said. "I haven't even introduced him to the clan yet. I was hoping to put that off for a while too, but then he ran into Delilah on Sunday. I had to promise I'd introduce him to the guys tomorrow night. I just hope nothing else happens." She looked at her watch. "We better get going," she said. "We've got a long shift, and I could use the distraction right about now."

"I know what you mean," he said. "Hell, with the way things have been going lately, we could be faced with an alien invasion tomorrow. That'd solve your problem."

"Don't get my hopes up, Matt," she said.

**July 14, 1999**

**Elisa's apartment**

Don was on the phone when Elisa came home.

"Okay, Jim," he said as he turned his attention towards her. "I'll talk to you later." He quickly hung up the phone and got up to take one of the bags of groceries from her.

"Who was that?" she asked as she headed for the kitchen. Don followed her.

"That was Jim," he said. "He called to invite me out to his parents' place this weekend for a little get-together. His family's celebrating his 'miraculous' return from beyond."

"Are you going?" she asked. She set her bag on the counter and began putting away groceries. She paused as she heard Don set down the bag he had taken from her.

"I'd like to," he said. "Unless you can give me a better offer…" He crept up behind her and slowly put his hands on her waist.

Elisa resisted the urge to pull away from him. As much as she wanted to respond to his touch, it was still too soon, and she was still trying to figure out how she was going to break the news to him about her and Goliath. _You're not making this any easier, _she thought as she felt him nuzzling her at neck.

"Don, the guys'll be here in a few minutes," she said. She had invited the clan back to the apartment in order to finally meet Don. The majority had said they would come, but Goliath was hesitant, not wanting to meet his apparent rival for Elisa's affections just yet. Elisa still hadn't told Don about her relationship with Goliath, and Matt had been of little help last night. _How will Don react once he finds out? _she wondered.

"Just guys, huh?" Don said. "No other girlgoyles?"

"There are," Elisa said. "You'll meet them tonight when they get here. Oh, I almost forgot," she added as she dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Dad said you can pick up the bike tomorrow. The shop said it should be done by then."

"You mean the Harley Softtail," Don said. "I didn't know you still had that. I figured you would have gotten rid of it by now."

"I wanted to," she admitted. "I just didn't have the heart to. I remember how much work you put into restoring it."

"I thought I'd never get it running," he said. "Why is it in the shop?"

"It's been sitting in my folks' garage for the past eight years," Elisa said. "Aside from a few times Derek took it out while you were overseas, it hasn't been started since then. It needed to be re-lubed." She paused as she finally disentangled herself from Don. "Among other things."

"What other things?" he asked.

"Derek took a spill on it the September after you left," she admitted. "I didn't want to tell you about it then because I knew you'd be ticked."

"How bad was the damage?" he asked.

"Not too bad," Elisa said. "The tank was dented and the pipes on the right side were crushed, but nothing that couldn't be fixed."

"I was talking about Derek," Don said. "I guess he lived through it."

"Of course," she said. "Although the way Mom tore into him, you'd think he lost an arm instead of just scraping it up. She made him promise never to go near the bike again."

"As long as nothing major was broken," he said. As Elisa turned, he put his arms around her again. "I'd hate to think my future brother-in-law…"

There was a tapping at the patio door.

"Perfect timing," he said, shaking his head. He stepped away from Elisa as she turned towards the doors, inwardly sighing at the reprieve as she went to let the gargoyles in. Don watched from the kitchen as Elisa stepped outside for a moment, _probably to let them know what to expect_, he thought.

Elisa closed the patio doors behind her, sighing heavily as she took in the sight of the gargoyles. She noted that Goliath hadn't come with them, as expected. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys," she said.

"Why, Elisa-chan?" Sata asked. "Has he tried to take advantage…"

"It's not that he's tried to that I'm worried about," Elisa said quickly. "That I can handle. It's that I won't be able to say no that's got me worried."

"You still haven't told him about Father?" Angela asked.

"No," she admitted. "I'm hoping to hold off on that for a few more days. I need to prepare him for it." She sighed heavily again. "The last thing I need is a repeat of what happened with Jason. And the last thing you guys need is another enemy, especially one that I'm in love with." She stepped away from the doors and moved among them. She paused at Angela. "I promise that I will tell him," she said.

"Elisa, we are not trying to force you to," Angela said. "But you need to be honest with him."

"She is correct, Elisa-chan," Sata said. "Even if you do decide to remain with him, what will happen if you keep this a secret from him? If he discovers it on his own, will he be willing to trust you afterwards?"

"I guess not," Elisa said. "It's just…"

The door opened and Don poked his head outside, taking in the assembled group. "I thought you were going to introduce me to your friends, Elisa," he said. "Are you going to invite them in, or do I have to come out there?"

"I think inside would be a good idea," Elisa said. She quickly motioned the others into the apartment and Don stepped aside as they filed in.

Brooklyn looked at Don briefly and found he had to suppress a look of shock. _This is Don?_ he thought. _It can't be. He looks so…normal. Not at all like…_

"Is there a problem?" Don asked, causing Brooklyn to realize he was staring at him.

"No," he quickly said. "It's just…you're kind of different from what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Don asked.

"Well, you look kinda different from the last picture I saw of you," Brooklyn said.

Don looked at Elisa, confused. "What…" he started.

"Don, this is Brooklyn," Elisa said. "He's the one I told you about."

"The one who went gallivanting through the time stream for forty years?" he asked.

"Yeah," Brooklyn said. "And don't bother asking me about the future," he added. "Most of what I saw I don't even remember."

"Okay," Don said. He turned his attention to the lovely jade gargoyle standing beside Brooklyn. "And this lovely lady would be…" he said.

"I am Sata," she answered, bowing to him. "Of the clan Ishimura."

"My mate," Brooklyn quickly added as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"I see," Don said, smiling. "Don't worry, I've got my own to worry about." He turned at that moment and missed the concerned look that passed between Elisa and Brooklyn. "And you are…"

"I'm Angela," Angela said. "And this is my mate, Broadway."

"Pleased to meet you," Broadway said.

"Likewise," Don said. "I see she keeps you well fed."

"It just means there's more of me to love," Broadway said. "Right, Angie?"

"Right," she said, putting her arms around him. "Although, what have I told you about…"

"Oops, sorry," he said. She hated being called 'Angie'.

The rest of the introductions went quickly. Elisa introduced Don to Graeme and Ariana, Brooklyn and Sata's children, and Lexington. She was somewhat grateful that the twins hadn't brought Nudnik, their pet, but she was disappointed that Hudson hadn't come. Brooklyn explained that Hudson had promised to visit his friend Jeffrey Robbins earlier and couldn't disappoint his friend.

"So this is all there is?" Don asked. "Aside from Hudson and Nudnik?"

"No," Elisa said. "There's also Bronx, the clan's watchdog."

"And Goliath," Ariana chimed in. "Don't forget him, Elisa."

"Ari-chan," Sata groaned.

"Oops," Ariana quickly said. "Sorry."

"What is it?" Don asked. "Whose Goliath?"

"He's our clan leader," Lexington said. "Right now, he's kind of a sore subject with Elisa."

"Problems?" Don asked, turning to face her.

"You could say that," Elisa said.

"Well, whatever it is," Don said. "I'm sure you can handle it."

_I hope so, _she thought.

The rest of the night passed quickly. The Trio talked about the early days at Castle Wyvern and the spell that left them trapped in stone for ten centuries. Angela talked about Avalon, the Princess and Tom and her rookery kin, and ultimately talk shifted to her mother Demona, although a few key things were left out about the azure gargoyle, such as her betrayal of the clan and her attempt to destroy humanity, not to mention the fact that Demona turned into a human during the day, and was the owner of one of the biggest companies in the world. Don noted that Demona appeared to be a sore subject with Brooklyn, but he didn't press the issue. He had the rest of his life to find out what there was to know about Elisa's friends.

Elisa and Angela both told Don about the infamous 'World Tour', and the people and gargoyles they had met around the world. He took a particular interest in the gargoyles; now that he had met Elisa's friends, he wanted to meet the rest of the gargoyles that existed throughout the world.

"Ishimura would be a good place to start, Don-san," Sata suggested. "It is my homeland, after all. And I am certain my clan would welcome you."

"I think I'm going to hold off on any overseas travel right at the moment," Don said. "Although, heading back to Japan does have a certain appeal."

"You have been there before?" Sata asked.

"It was one of the first places I was posted after I got out of Basic," he said. "I wasn't there for very long, just long enough to pick up a little Japanese and absorb some of the culture." He paused for a moment before continuing, saying a few words in Japanese.

Sata blushed brightly and Brooklyn muttered just loud enough to cause a giggle to escape from the twins.

"What did he say?" Angela asked.

"I think he just made a pass at Mom," Graeme laughed.

"I did not," Don said. "I just said that she was the most elegant warrior I have ever seen." He looked at Sata. "At least I think I did."

"You are correct, Don-san," Sata said, smiling. "And I thank you for the compliment."

"You are most welcome, Sata-chan," Don returned. His attention shifted slightly to her swords. "May I?"

Sata removed the katana from her obi and passed it carefully to him. He looked it over slightly before pulling on the hilt and exposing a few inches of the blade. "This is a beautiful sword," he said. "16th Century?"

"Somewhat older," Sata said. "It was given to me by my teacher when I completed my training, but you are not far off. 16th Century Ishimura is where I met Brooklyn."

Don passed the sword back to Sata. "You're a real lucky guy," he said to Brooklyn.

"I think you guys better get going," Elisa said, looking at her watch. "It's going to be dawn pretty soon, and Don and I have a full day ahead of us. I'll stop by the castle later before I head for the precinct."

"Okay, Elisa," Angela said. As the gargoyles got up to leave, she drew Elisa aside as Don opened the patio doors and followed the others outside.

"I know what you're going to say, Angela," Elisa said. She turned and saw Lex talking to Don excitedly, _probably discussing the finer points of Apache flying, _she thought.

"You should tell him," Angela said. "Now that he's met us…"

"He's not ready yet," Elisa said. "He just met you guys. I can't come out and say, 'Oh, by the way, Don. The thing with Goliath is I'm dating him.' It would kill him."

"Elisa…" Angela started, but she quickly cut her off.

"I just need a few more days," she said. "Please, Angela. A little more time is all I'm asking."

"Okay, Elisa," Angela said sadly. She was afraid she already knew what Elisa's answer was going to be. She just hoped she was wrong.

**July 16, 1999**

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa sat on the parapet looking up at the stone figure of Goliath. She was ready to make her decision, and it was the hardest one she was going to make in her life. _Why does love have to be so damned complicated? _she thought. _Why do I have to hurt one person that I love in order to be with someone else that I love just as much? And why can't I get that damned song out of my head._ She'd heard an old Spike Jones song on the radio earlier that day, and unfortunately it had been coming from someone else's car. She rolled up her window to try and block out the song, but it hadn't helped, particularly since it had been one of Don's favorites.

"You always hurt the one you love," she repeated off key as she heard stone begin to crack. She looked up as she saw Goliath break out of his stone skin, and then looked down as he became aware of her presence.

"Elisa," he said, jumping down from his perch. "It is good to see you again." He moved to her and placed his hands on her waist, lifting her up off the parapet. He quickly set her down when he saw the look of sadness on her face. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said as the rest of the gargoyles gathered. "It's just…" She sighed as she looked up at Goliath. "I've decided."

"You wish to stay with Don," Goliath said.

"I want to," she said, but then grabbed Goliath's hand as she felt it drop from her waist. "But I can't. Goliath, I love you too much to let you go. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She looked up at him and Goliath could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I just wish there was some way I could tell Don without hurting him."

"There be no way to do that, lass," Hudson said. "No matter what ye tell him, ye'll break his heart. There be no way around it."

"I know," she said. "God, I know." She sniffed back the tears and looked at Goliath. "You said you'd wait for me, Goliath," she said.

"Of course, my Elisa," he said, resting his palm against her cheek.

"Then promise me you'll wait just a little while longer," she said. "I need time to work this out. Promise me that you'll wait for me."

"I promise, my Elisa," he said.

**July 17, 1999**

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa looked at her watch again, waiting for Don to return. _God, I hope he didn't get lost, _she thought. Don was hours overdue. He said he would try to be back from Jim's parents' home by eight and it was already midnight. _I should have gone with him, _she thought. _If I had, maybe I could have told him then…_

Her self-recrimination was interrupted by the sound of a key in the lock. She hurried to the door as it opened and Don walked into the apartment. Elisa flung herself into his arms before she had a chance to realize she was doing it.

"I'm glad to see you, too," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"What happened to you?" she asked. "I was worried that…"

"What, worried I fell through another time warp?" he joked. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily."

"Then what…"

"I got shanghaied by some reporter from WVRN named Nicole St. John," he said. "I don't know how, but she found out about the celebration Jim's parents were having and decided it sounded like a good human interest piece. It took us hours to get rid of her."

"They should call her Nosey St. John," Elisa said.

"I take it you know her then," Don said.

"Only by reputation," she said. "Xanatos had her kicked out of the castle on more than one occasion."

"Trying to get the inside story on the gargoyles?" he said.

"Among other things," Elisa said. She finally became aware of her own proximity to Don and stepped back slightly, only to find his arms holding on to her, as if he didn't want to let her go. She looked up and found that his expression had changed. _He apparently talked to St. John at the party, _she realized. _What had she told him? What had he heard? _"Don, what is it?" she asked.

"You didn't tell me you'd been shot," he said.

_Oh God, _she thought. _How did he find out…_"Who told you?"

"Jim's wife," he said. "She told me she sent you some flowers when she heard about it." He looked at her. "How…"

"It was a stupid accident," she admitted. "Broadway…he was playing with my gun and…" She paused as she looked away from him, the memories of that day hitting her in a wave. _"Let's go, pilgrim, and don't forget the horse," she had heard Broadway say as she stood by the stove, fixing herself some dinner. She turned to get a couple of steaks out of the refrigerator for Broadway when she realized that he had **her **gun. She took a step towards him, intending to take it away from him, when he turned towards her, and she realized that his oversized finger was **inside** the trigger guard, an instant before the gun went off... _"I don't know why I stopped putting it in that strongbox you bought for me," she said. "You were always on me about keeping it locked up when I was off-duty. I guess after you disappeared, it was just another reminder…" She pulled away from him, grateful that he let her, and stepped away from him. "I almost died," she said. "All because of one little mistake. I can't afford to make any more." She turned and faced him. "Don, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Elis'?" he asked.

Elisa looked up at him as he closed the distance between them, searching his eyes in the hope that he already sensed what she was going to tell him. "I…" she started, but then she hesitated. _I can't do this, _she cried out silently. _I can't risk losing him again._

Don put his arms around Elisa's waist, pulling her close. He sensed her hesitation and ended it by leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

She resisted the urge to pull away. _This isn't right, _a voice in her mind said, but it was drowned out by the roar of her emotions. She slipped her arms up around his neck and pulled him even closer into the kiss.

It seemed to last for an eternity. She didn't want to let him go, but the need for air became an issue. She reluctantly broke away and looked up at him.

"Don…" she started. _She had to tell him, _she thought. _She didn't want to. She knew it was going to break his heart, but…_

"There's someone else, isn't there?" he said.

"I…" she started, still reeling from the kiss. _Oh God, it's Jason all over again, _she thought. She remembered that tense moment, three years ago, when her temporary partner Jason Conover had asked her that same question. She had said 'Yes' then 'No', not sure what to say because she was still unsure about her feelings for Goliath. She knew Jason cared about her… Elisa looked away, trying to decide what to tell Don. Then she felt his arms release her and she drew back from him.

Don reached up and put his hand against her cheek. "I can see it in your eyes, Elisa," he said. "There is someone else."

"Yes," she said finally, her bottom lip quivering as she continued. "There is." She turned away, afraid to face him.

"How long?" Don asked.

"A couple of years," Elisa said. "I met him about five years ago, but we've only started seeing each other…"

Don stepped up to her and placed his hands on her arms, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Do you love him?" he asked. When she turned to look at him, he posed the question again. "Elisa, I have to know."

"Yes," she said. "Don, I didn't want to hurt you. I still love you, but I…"

"You're _in_ love with someone else," he said.

"I am," she said. "But Don, you don't understand…"

"I think I do," he said quietly, but Elisa knew his heart was breaking, because hers was breaking as well.

"You don't," she said. "I…I still…" She pulled away and raced through the patio doors. Don turned to follow her, but stopped short, realizing that she needed some time alone. Time to work things out. He began gathering his things together. _It was time for him to go._

Elisa crossed the balcony and leaned on the railing, closing her eyes tightly to try to keep the tears under control. _She needed time to think, time to decide what to do. _She loved Don, but she also loved Goliath. She was going to be Goliath's mate. _How was Don going to react when she told him…_

"Elisa?" she heard a voice behind her. She turned and saw Angela step out of the shadows.

"Angela, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to talk," she said. She looked towards the door. "I saw…" She stopped and looked back at Elisa.

Elisa realized that Angela must have seen her and Don kissing. She wondered what was going through the young female's mind.

"Elisa, what's going on?" she asked. "I thought that you and Father were…"

"We are," Elisa said quickly. "Angela, your father's one of the best things that happened to me in a long time. When I lost Don, I thought I'd never fall in love with another person the way I did with him. But I did, with Goliath. He helped me through one of the hardest times of my life, and that's one of the reasons why I love him so much."

"But…" Angela asked.

Elisa hesitated, knowing that Angela was waiting for an answer. "But," she said, then sighed. "Angela, you guys have got to give me a chance to work this through. You know I love your father, but I love Don, too. And that's what's making this so hard…"

She was interrupted by the sound of a door closing. _Had someone come in? _she wondered. _Or did… _Dreading the answer, Elisa ran back into the apartment and realized that Don had left. _He must have overheard us talking, _she thought. She ran to the door and pulled it open, looking up and down the hallway. He was nowhere in sight.

**Central Park**

Don sat on a bench at Belvedere Castle with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. So far all he did was hold it, but more than once, he was tempted to open it and start drinking. _Why not? _he thought ruefully. _It worked for Mom more than once._

_Why didn't she tell him? _he thought. He had known that something was wrong, that there was something that Elisa wasn't telling him, but he had thought it was due to his unusual return. He hadn't even considered the possibility that she had fallen in love with someone else.

He fingered the lid. _Why not? _he told himself. _It has been eight years. Everyone thought you were dead. You couldn't expect her to wait around forever. And it's not like she jumped on the first warm body when you disappeared. Not like Mom did._

He looked down at the bottle, still unopened. _It would be so easy,_ he thought. _So easy to just drink yourself into oblivion._

_Too easy, in fact, _he thought then. _And you never took the easy path, Don. You always worked hard, pushed yourself to the limit, so you wouldn't end up like your mom. _He frowned at the bottle. _And I'm not about to start now._

He got off the bench and drew his arm back, intending to throw the bottle as far away from him as he could.

A soft whining drew his attention to one side. He looked and caught sight of a large dog-like creature coming towards him. He took a quick step backwards, ready to make a break for it if the creature attacked…

"Ah, good boy, Bronx," he heard a voice behind him say. He turned and saw one of the gargoyles, an older one, walking towards him. "Ye found him." _This must be Hudson, _he thought._ Angela's description certainly fits._

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Ye be Elisa's Don, right?" Hudson asked. "Ye've got Elisa's scent on ye."

Don lifted his arm to his nose and took a sniff. He couldn't smell anything that hinted of his recent contact with Elisa, but he knew that the gar-beast Bronx's sense of smell was probably a hundred times sharper than his own.

"I guess she sent you guys to find me then," he said.

"Aye, lad," Hudson said. "The lass is worried about ye, and when she worries, then Goliath…" He stopped, wondering if Elisa had told Don about her relationship with his clan's leader.

"He'll do whatever it takes to see her happy again," Don said, sighing.

"Aye," Hudson said.

"He loves her that much then," Don said.

"That he does," Hudson said.

Don turned away. "I kind of figured that," he said. "I could tell that there was something she wasn't telling me. I should have figured it would have been something like this."

"Dinna blame Elisa, lad," Hudson said. "It wasna her fault she fell in love again after believin' ye were dead. I know what it's like to lose someone ye love."

"I don't blame her," Don said. "I just wish she'd have told me about it from the beginning. I would have understood it if she had."

"I dinna think she would have even if she wanted to," Hudson said. "I've seen her agonizing over this for the past two weeks, lad. She loves Goliath, but she also loves you. It's impossible to choose when yuir heart is being pulled in two different directions at once."

"But she did choose," Don said. "She chose Goliath."

"Aye," Hudson said. "But she wanted time to break the news to you in her own way. She wanted time to soften the blow."

"It still wouldn't have mattered," Don said. He looked at the still-unopened whiskey bottle, then carefully set it on the bench. "I won't be needing this," he said, pulling out the picture of Elisa. He placed it back in the envelope and handed it to Hudson. "I hope that she and Goliath are happy together." He turned and started walking away.

"Where are ye going?" Hudson called after him.

"I don't know yet," he said, pausing to look back at Hudson. "If Elisa asks, tell her I need time to sort this out on my own. She at least owes me that much." He turned and headed off towards his motorcycle.

Hudson looked down at the envelope and realized that it had been the last letter Elisa had sent to Don before he disappeared. He turned his attention to Bronx as he heard him whine.

"Nay, boy," Hudson said. "It be his decision, not ours. Best to let him go until he can figure out where his heart belongs in this world." Turning, he headed back towards Elisa's apartment.

**Elisa's apartment**

"How could you just let him walk away?" Elisa cried out.

"It was his decision, lass," Hudson said. "If I tried to force him to come back to ye, I doubt very much if he would have ever trusted ye again."

"That's beside the point," Elisa said. "I'm sure we could have worked things out…"

"Is it?" Goliath asked.

Elisa turned to look at him. "Goliath…"

"Elisa," he said quickly. "You have to give him time. I know how you feel about him, and that you truly believe that somehow you can make this work, but it is his decision to make. If you truly do care for him, you must allow him time to work this out on his own, just as you asked us to. Would you deny him that?"

"No," she said reluctantly. "Did he at least tell you where he was going?"

"Nay, lass," Hudson said. "All he did was give me this." He took the envelope out of his tunic and handed it to Elisa. "He said he wouldna be needin' it anymore."

Elisa took the envelope, knowing what it was. And what it represented. _He's not coming back, _she thought sadly. _He's never coming back._

"Hudson," Goliath said as he took Elisa in his arms. The old warrior took the unspoken hint and headed out through the patio doors, taking Bronx with him as he headed back for the castle.

"Goliath, I think I need to be alone for a while," Elisa said, trying desperately to hold back the tears. _I've lost him all over again._

"I understand," he said as he ran his fingers through her raven-black hair. Fresh tears finally ran down her cheek. "Remember what I said, my Elisa. I shall wait for you until the end of time if need be."

"I remember," Elisa said as she captured his hand. She held onto it for a brief moment before Goliath withdrew it from her hair and turned to leave. After he flew off into the night sky, Elisa went back inside and slowly closed the patio doors before sinking down to the floor and resting her head on her knees. The tears and her sobbing continued through the rest of the night and well into the next morning.

The End


End file.
